After suffering a bruised knee on matchday five against VfL Bochum, Matthijs de Ligt has begun rehab training at the Säbener Straße. The Dutch defender was withdrawn at half-time by Thomas Tuchel – with Die Rekordmeister already 4-0 up – and the Bayern head coach would reveal on Friday that de Ligt’s recovery is: “taking a little longer than we expected.”
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old was captured training with rehab coach Simon Martinello on Tuesday morning. However, he would only be on the pitch for under an hour.
Therefore, it is still unclear when de Ligt is expected to return, but there is hope that he will be available for selection when Bayern return to Bundesliga action away at Mainz on matchday eight.
This is due to the current issues regarding Die Rekordmeister’s backline. Injuries have plagued Tuchel’s defence and with Dayot Upamecano recently being ruled out of the French squad, Kim Min-jae remains Bayern’s only fully fit centre-back.
GGFN | Will Shopland
