A Bayern Munich midfielder is “upset” after being dropped by manager Vincent Kompany.
Leon Goretzka did not make the Bayern Munich squad for the club’s thumping 6-1 victory over Bundesliga newcomers Holstein Kiel.
The Germany international, who has made 222 appearances for Bayern since joining form Schalke in 2018, also missed the club’s DFB-Pokal 4-0 win over SSV ULM 1846.
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Indeed, Goretzka has played just one minute of competitive football for the Bavarian giants this term.
Speaking ahead of Bayern’s weekend victory, director of sport Max Eberl explained the 29-year-old’s omission from the team, and added that the player was “upset”.
"We communicated very clearly from the start," he told Sky Germany via Bulinews.
"Leon knew that we were relying on Pavlo [Aleksandar Pavlovic], and that we would bring in [Joao] Palhinha and that Joshua [Kimmich] would play more in the centre again. It's just that the competition is fierce."
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Eberl continued: "We've also said that when Leon is there and ready to face the situation, he'll be treated completely normally.
"Leon's a great guy. I like him a lot, even though he's obviously upset at the moment. I understand that too. But that's part of life in football."
Goretzka has netted 40 goals and assisted another 46 across his six years at Bayern, while he has claimed five Bundesliga titles as well as a Champions League. The midfielder has also made 57 appearances for the German national team.
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However, Kompany has suggested Goretzka could be deployed at centre-back in future, after the player started alongside Eric Dier in defence for a 4-0 friendly win over Grasshoppers.
Kompany at the time said: "Leon did a great job. He can slip into that role well."
Bayern have won all three of their Bundesliga matches this season and sit at the summit having scored 11 goals.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane is joint top of the league’s scoring charts on four goals alongside Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric.
Topics: Bayern Munich, Vincent Kompany, Bundesliga, Germany, Football
Chris Byfield