Luis Diaz is likely to miss four to six weeks for Bayern Munich after tearing a muscle bundle in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal. The injury comes at a difficult time for the club, which has few alternatives on the left side of its attack.
There were warning signs before the Arsenal match. During the 6-1 win over RB Leipzig, Diaz was the outstanding player on the pitch, scoring three goals, providing one direct assist and contributing to the build-up of another. He stayed on the field after Bayern had used all their substitutions, even though he had been due to come off because of muscular problems. “We were a little afraid that something had happened. We were actually lucky that he trained on Tuesday, though not at 100 per cent,” Kompany said on Wednesday before the Arsenal game.
Bayern pushed Diaz despite an incomplete return
Kompany brought Diaz on in the 68th minute against Arsenal, with Bayern leading 2-1. The forward touched the ball only once more before he sank to the turf in the 90th minute after a sprint, his face contorted in pain. The injury is a torn muscle bundle, a type that frequently results from physical overload.
Bayern’s head coach has had his own health scare this week. Kompany caught a “pretty nasty virus” last week and admitted he “of course didn’t listen to my body.” He coached the Leipzig win largely sitting down and spent the days before the Arsenal draw at home. On Friday, he reportedly collapsed after training at the Säbener Straße training ground, and reports said a helicopter was deployed. Bayern have not yet commented on the incident, and it remains unclear whether it is connected to his earlier illness.
A summer plan that never materialised
Bayern’s squad planners seriously considered signing an alternative to Diaz during the summer, a player the club regards as essentially never injured. Their top target was Antony Gordon, a versatile left winger. However, the Englishman moved from Newcastle United to Barcelona for a fee of €80 million. “Too expensive in the end,” sporting director Max Eberl said, explaining why Bayern pulled out of the race.
Bayern instead signed Ismael Saibari, whose strengths lie mainly in central attacking positions. The club had promised the backup role to 20-year-old left winger Arijon Ibrahimovic. After a successful loan spell at Heidenheim, he appeared set for a rotation role at Bayern, but the club loaned him to FC Augsburg at short notice. The decision surprised Ibrahimovic, his agent Roman Rummenigge and Diaz himself. In a September interview with Sky/RTL, Diaz said, “It helps a lot when things aren’t going well. Then your team-mate is there to help you, and you take turns. That’s very important. I would have liked it. But, well, it didn’t happen.”
Shortly afterwards, Diaz’s national-team coach and Bayern granted him a special two-week break to recover from the previous season, which included the World Cup. Diaz had endured a brief dip in form and goalscoring after the tournament, but he had just played his way out of it. This is his first injury since a serious knee problem at Liverpool in the 2022/2023 season kept him out for almost half a year.
Davies steps in as Plan C
Bayern already face a crowded injury list in attack. Jamal Musiala is working his way back into training after a torn muscle fibre. Serge Gnabry impressed against Arsenal but is not yet at 100 per cent after a persistent adductor injury. Lennart Karl is still searching for form following a torn muscle bundle in June that caused him to miss the World Cup. Karl started on the bench against Arsenal, while Gnabry played on the right wing and left-back Alphonso Davies deputised for Diaz.
Both impressed. Kompany revealed that Bayern had already considered Davies as an attacking option during the summer, even though the club had converted him to left-back after his move from MLS. “We have good depth in defence and know that we can always use Phonzy on the wings too,” Kompany said. If Diaz was Plan A and a summer signing Plan B, Davies now looks like Plan C. The Canadian has struggled with injuries repeatedly in the recent past, however, and still has to prove he is reliable.
Options for the coming weeks and summer
Bayern should be able to cope with a month without Diaz, but they have little margin for error. Diaz is the only player in the squad without a direct backup. Saibari has played on the left wing twice this season after coming on as a substitute, and Gnabry can play anywhere. If further problems arise, the club may have to promote 19-year-old Tim Binder from the amateur side on a permanent basis. Binder became the hero of the city derby in the second team’s recent 4-2 win over 1860 Munich and made his first-team squad debut against the Gunners.
Bayern’s schedule is demanding. Every week until the international break on 9 November brings a midweek fixture, including Bundesliga matches against SC Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, a DFB Cup tie against Magdeburg and a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. Next summer, Bayern reportedly want to address the imbalance on the left side of their attack. According to Sky, they are considering Antonio Nusa of RB Leipzig.