FC Bayern will have to do without their team captain Manuel Neuer for a longer period of time. The Munich team officially confirmed on Sunday evening that the goalkeeper would not be available for several weeks.
Like the record champions after the 21st matchday in the Bundesliga officially on his club homepage announced that Neuer underwent an operation on his right knee joint on Sunday.
The operation was successful, so the 35-year-old will soon be able to start his rehabilitation program.
The club and the goalkeeper himself had kept the operation secret until the very end. On Saturday after Bayern’s Bundesliga win against RB Leipzig (3-2), there were still no indications of an intervention.
“As long as I stay healthy and fit, have fun and I’m needed, I’ll keep playing. That’s a good plan, isn’t it?” said Neuer on Saturday evening.
Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic commented on the Bayern captain’s surgery on Sunday: “All of us at the club and the whole team wish Manuel a speedy recovery and we are sure that he will soon be in top form with us again.”
In the current season, Manuel Neuer has been an absolute must in FC Bayern’s box and was in the starting XI of the German industry leader in 28 competitive games.
Manuel Neuer breaks the Bundesliga record set by Oliver Kahn
In Munich’s home win against RB Leipzig on Saturday evening, Neuer set a new Bundesliga record: he celebrated his 310th victory as a Bundesliga goalkeeper.
The 2014 World Champion thus surpassed the mark of Oliver Kahn, who achieved 309 victories in the Bundesliga during his active career.
“It’s a special number. But it’s important that we as a team get the wins and are at the top,” said Neuer after his record win against the Red Bulls from Leipzig on Saturday evening.
It is not yet known exactly how many weeks the Bayern goalkeeper will be out. He will be replaced in his downtime by Sven Ulreich, who returned this season as number 2 in the record champions’ goal. Ulreich had already played one game of the season in the league – on January 7th in the 2-1 home defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach.