Munich, March 6 Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer has been ruled out "for the foreseeable future" after tearing a muscle in his right calf during their 3-0 win over Leverkusen in the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League 2024-25. Former Germany No. 1 goalkeeper Neuer was forced off after injuring his calf while celebrating Jamal Musiala's second-half goal. Their recent signing, Jonas Urbig, replaced him, making his Bayern debut.
On Thursday, Bayern confirmed that scans revealed Neuer had suffered a torn muscle fiber in his right calf.
"Manuel Neuer suffered a torn muscle fibre in his right calf in the 3-0 win over Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Champions League game on Wednesday evening. The diagnosis was confirmed by the FC Bayern medical unit. The record German champions' goalkeeper will, therefore, be out for the foreseeable future," Bayern said in a statement.
Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany said the team has to do it without the services of Neuer. "I don't want to put too much pressure on Jonas (Urbig) or Manu. We have had times without Harry Kane, Musiala, and Joshua Kimmich this season, and we have also played without Manuel, so we will just have to do it without him again," Kompany said after the match.
"We have talent in our team to continue. This was Jonas's debut, and you could have easier matches, of course, but in the first months with us, he seems really calm and controlled in his actions," he said.
Bayern head to Leverkusen next Wednesday (IST) with a strong advantage, but Kompany insists the tie is far from decided. "We played well for one half, not of the game, but of the tie. In the second half, in Leverkusen, we have to play the same way," he said.
Neuer has been at Bayern Munich since 2011 and has made a total of 554 appearances across all tournaments so far. He won the UEFA Champions League with Bayern in the 2012-13 and 2019-20 seasons.
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