Comeback after ten months
Tuchel puts Neuer in goal against SV Darmstadt 98
October 27, 2023, 1:25 p.m
Now it’s official: Manuel Neuer’s long period of suffering is over. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel wants to put the 37-year-old back between the posts on Saturday in the Bundesliga against SV Darmstadt 98, “if nothing happens in training.”
Manuel Neuer can look forward to his comeback at FC Bayern Munich after more than ten months of injury. Coach Thomas Tuchel announced that the 37-year-old will be captain at the Bundesliga home game on Saturday (3.30 p.m./Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker) I’ll be in goal again against SV Darmstadt 98, “if nothing happens in training.” The last time Neuer was in the Munich goal was on November 12, 2022 in a 2-0 away win against FC Schalke.
“I feel his anticipation and feel his whole class. He has a lot of experience, he’s enjoying it right now,” Tuchel continued and added: “There will definitely be a certain amount of nervousness, a tingling feeling. I’m sure he will gets into the rhythm very quickly.”
The 2014 world champion played his last game ever in Germany’s early World Cup exit in Qatar on December 1, 2022 against Costa Rica. After the tournament, he broke his tibia and fibula on his right lower leg during a ski tour. Since then he has been working on his comeback.
Tuchel had already refrained from making Neuer’s comeback a week ago against FSV Mainz and then in the Champions League group game at Galatasaray Istanbul. “Now we all have to slow ourselves down,” the Munich coach said about the captain. He paid him “the greatest respect” for the “extraordinary performance” of the comeback.
Back on the training ground since the end of August
“I am 100 percent convinced that he will return to his highest level,” predicted Tuchel and justified the temporary waiver: “My gut feeling matched his that we said 51 percent that we would give him a little more time .” Tuchel wanted Neuer to be able to work things out with the people in front of him before things got serious again.
Neuer’s return plan did not work out as the goalkeeper had hoped. In the meantime, the goal was to start this season, but that didn’t happen. At the end of August, Neuer completed a session with his goalkeeper colleagues for the first time. Afterwards he had to slow down again at times due to calf problems.
This season he was replaced in goal by Sven Ulreich, who is now acting as a substitute keeper again. Yann Sommer, who was signed as a representative last winter, left Munich for Inter Milan in the summer.
The new national coach Julian Nagelsmann left it open when he took office as to whether former DFB captain Neuer would return to the national team after his long injury break. He wanted to give the FC Bayern goalkeeper the time he needed to get healthy and regain 100 percent performance. “If the situation arises, we will evaluate it,” said Nagelsmann. The next international matches are scheduled for mid-November.