"2026 can be his year" – Jamal Musiala closing in on long-awaited injury return
| Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images |
Bayern Munich have been without Jamal Musiala since the attacking midfielder suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle at the Club World Cup this past summer.
The 22-year-old has been working hard on his recovery, and now there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.
As Bayern coach Vincent Kompany revealed at a press conference on Friday, there is hope Musiala could return to team training before Christmas.
“Everything is going well, and if he can train with us a few times before Christmas, we’ll be very satisfied. 2026 can be his year,” Kompany said.
Alphonso Davies, sidelined since March, is even closer to returning to action, though Saturday’s Bundesliga clash against VfB Stuttgart comes too soon for the Canada international.
“He's very close. It won't be tomorrow, but hopefully next week. It's looking good,” Kompany said.
“With these long-term injuries, you have to get everything right medically. It's in our minds that he might get his first minutes against Mainz. That's already a bonus. It's important that we're patient. We'll have to see whether he'll be in the squad against Sporting without getting any playing time,” added the Bayern coach.
“He's very strong mentally. At the beginning, he needed a little time to find his motivation. You always have to think about how to come back stronger from an injury. I believe he'll come back very strong from this injury. He's under no pressure now.”
The Belgian coach also provided an update on Aleksandar Pavlovic, who was forced off in Bayern's 3-2 DFB-Pokal win over Union Berlin in midweek.
“The initial news is good. He should be able to train again in the next few days. It's nothing serious, but we'll have t wait and see for tomorrow,” Kompany revealed.
