July 19, (THEWILL) – Leon Goretzka had undergone surgery to permanently deal with his problematic knee issue, thus he will not travel with Bayern Munich on their preseason tour of the United States.
Due to a left knee injury, the Germany international only managed 19 Bundesliga games in the 2021/2022 campaign. Following Monday’s surgery, Goretzka will miss matches against D.C. United and Manchester City before the DFL-Supercup Final against RB Leipzig on July 30.
The 27-year-old’s absence might last up to two months, leaving Julian Nagelsmann without many midfield alternatives in the early going of the Bundesliga season in 2022/2023 season.
Joshua Kimmich and Goretzka would have likely played together in the middle, with Ryan Gravenberch, who recently joined from Ajax, or Marcel Sabitzer as possible alternatives for the Bundesliga champions.
As Bayern prepare for the season without Robert Lewandowski, who has been granted his wish to join Barcelona, they may try to pursue their rumoured interest in Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer as a second option in midfield.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
