Manuel Neuer’s contract for Bayern Munich is set to expire this summer, but the veteran keeper is taking his time with the club to decide whether or not he will sign a one-year contract extension before June. Neuer himself has said that he is ready to wait until this spring to decide on his future and he’s in no rush to give a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no.’
Sporting director Christoph Freund recently spoke about Neuer’s contract situation and echoed the sentiment from the keeper that he wants to see how
his fitness feels before sitting down with the club to decide if he’s going to put pen to paper for another year or not. “With Manu, it was always clear that his decision was mainly based on how his body felt. He knows his body better than anyone else. It’s truly exceptional to play at this level at his age. There will be no pressure or deadline from our side, just open communication. Therefore, aiming for the period of March/April makes sense,” Freund explained (Tz’s Manuel Bonke via @iMiaSanMia).
By the time this season concludes, Neuer will be 40-years-old, and as odd as it will be to see a Bayern team without Neuer in it, that day is getting closer than it is further away. He’s well aware of the fact that his time as the club’s number one keeper is going to come to an end within the next couple of years and he has had some injuries and complications to injuries in recent season’s past that will be a part of his thinking as well as the club’s — namely his metatarsal issues.
With all of that considered, there is an understanding with the club and Neuer that more minutes will be given to Jonas Urbig, who was purchased from FC Köln last winter to eventually become Neuer’s replacement. So far this season, Urbig has played a total of five matches, the most recent of which having been Bayern’s 4-0 win at Heidenheim to close out the hinrunde. Urbig also stood firm every time of the asking last season, having made a total of twelve appearances across all competitions when Neuer was out injured and Sven Ulreich missed a considerable amount of time due to personal reasons.
On the matter of Urbig starting to get more minutes, Freund said that Neuer has been very much signed on to the idea and has been very helpful in taking Urbig under his wing, so to speak. “Manu is at a different stage in his career, but he’s handling this role exceptionally well. He supports Jonas, exchanges ideas with him a lot, they often sit down and talk. That’s a great quality. We spoke openly with him and told him that the situation with Jonas could be fantastic – for everyone involved. Especially when you’re mentoring and developing your own successor. There couldn’t be a better teacher for a young goalkeeper than Manuel Neuer,” Bayern’s sporting director detailed.
