Bayern Munich: Danks Leads Freiburg Match While Kompany Recovers
The English assistant coach takes over for the Sunday fixture as the 40-year-old head coach remains hospitalized with a virus.
By Justin Barnes ·
Aaron Danks will lead Bayern Munich’s first team on the pitch for Sunday’s Bundesliga match at Freiburg. The English assistant coach takes charge because head coach Vincent Kompany is expected to be absent for an extended period while he receives hospital treatment for a virus.
Bayern Director of Sport Max Eberl confirmed at a Saturday news conference that Kompany remains in a stable condition. Eberl stated that examinations are ongoing to determine the specific nature of the illness. The club has not set a recovery timeframe, noting that the absence will be measured in weeks rather than days.
"Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We’re not starting to put together any timeframes," Eberl said. He added that the staff must first understand the problem before discussing recovery plans.
Kompany, 40, collapsed on the training pitch on Friday. He had returned to the dugout for Wednesday’s home match against Arsenal despite missing the pre-match press conference. After that game, Kompany admitted he ignored warning signs. "I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course, I didn’t listen to my body, and then at some point, my body just said, ‘Enough is enough!’" he said.
Danks led the news conference in Kompany’s place and reported speaking briefly with the former Manchester City and Belgium captain on Friday. "I explained to him that we wouldn’t be having no football conversations. It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK," Danks said.
The club postponed Bayern’s second team match on Friday following the collapse but decided not to seek a postponement for the Freiburg fixture. Eberl said a strong performance would help Kompany’s recovery. "That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover," he said.
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will also miss the game. Danks confirmed Kimmich has been on bereavement leave since Tuesday. Bayern currently leads the Bundesliga table by one point over Freiburg. The team plays Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on November 3.
Source: Al Jazeera
