After a huge win in his comeback game, which saw him grab a clean sheet in an outrageous 8-0 win against SV Darmstadt 98, Bayern Munich’s captain Manuel Neuer would inevitably face questions about his involvement in the future of the club and of the German National Team.
Faced with the possibility of playing every three days after a 10-month injury recovery, the Bavarian Wall responded in a very collected manner and refused to get overly excited about his return between the posts, instead focusing on management of his load and recovery in a step by step approach.
“We’ll see. We’ll meet on Monday at Säbener and plan the week as normal. I’m trying to regenerate and continue to focus on the next tasks ahead,” he said when asked about the slate of games ahead (via @iMiaSanMia).
Neuer’s future with the Germany men’s national team is also in the spotlight, as FC Barcelona keeper Marc-André ter Stegen has put in strong performances in his absence.
“I’m not thinking about that now. I’m thinking about FC Bayern. I think ter Stegen is definitely #1 at the moment. We have great goalkeepers in Germany and are all looking forward to the Euros,” Neuer added (captured via @iMiaSanMia and @AZ_Strasser). “I was in contact with Julian Nagelsmann yesterday and he wished me good luck. For me everything is totally relaxed.”
At 37 years of age, Neuer has been around professional football long enough to be able to expertly handle hot questions from the journalists. While his capabilities as a sweeper-keeper are undeniable, it remains to be seen if Neuer will manage to reach the same world-class performances he is known for. Should he do so, the No. 1 spot for the German National Team may be posed to give Julian Nagelsmann selection headaches.
What do you think? Will Neuer be able to recapture his former shine, or will a return to his pre-injury performances ultimately prove too much a hill to climb? Let us know in the comments below.
Interested in more analysis of this crazy game? Is Harry Kane suffering from Erling Haaland syndrome? Why doesn’t Thomas Müller play more? We talk about all that and more in our postgame podcast! Listen to it below or on Spotify.
As always we appreciate all the support!
