Bayern Munich’s training camp got off to a tough start as Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Southampton’s Armel Bella-Kotchap both withdrew due to injuries.
“It’s a pity for everyone that Jamal won’t be with us in the next games. We hope that he can play again after the international break, especially for the last games of the season at his club,” Flick said a press conference (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Musiala’s injury was reported to be a hamstring issue, but it remains to be seen what the full severity is.
The injuries, however, were not the only hot topic for Flick. The former Bayern Munich sextuple winner had to make several tough decisions with his roster, including a spot between Bayern Munich Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané.
“You have to make decisions, we decided for Serge. Of course we could have taken all the players. It’s important for us that the players not only train, but also play. Everyone who stayed home should train well and be ready,” Flick said. “It’s extremely important for us to make the squad deeper. We want to take a look at whom might have the potential to be at Euro in 2024. If I had taken the same players from the World Cup, I would not have done anything new.”
Two other players who missed the cut were Borussia Dortmund veterans Marco Reus and Mats Hummels. For Hummels, it does not sound like he will be breaking back into the national team any time soon.
“As I always said, the door is open for everyone who performs. I spoke to Marco Reus and we’ll see what form he’s in. Regarding Mats, we can see that he is playing less and that (Nico) Schlotterbeck and (Niklas) Süle are doing well,” Flick noted.