BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said Friday he expects Joshua Kimmich to make a full recovery from Covid-19, but the Germany midfielder has been warned the path to full fitness may be long.
Kimmich is not expected to play again until January as he recovers from lung damage caused by Covid after the 26-year-old, who is unvaccinated, tested positive last month.
In a statement, Kimmich has said he “can’t wait” to play and train again, but his enforced spell on the sidelines must continue as he has “slight infiltrations in my lungs.”
On Friday, Nagelsmann made it clear Kimmich will miss Bayern’s last three Bundesliga games of 2021 only as a precautionary measure.
“I’m not at all worried because the infiltrations are not dramatic,” said Nagelsmann.
“The break is a safety measure and no damage of consequence is to be expected.”
Kimmich is set to be one of Germany’s leading players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Like the defensive midfielder, his Bayern team-mate Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting also has infiltrations of the lungs after testing positive.
Nagelsmann said both players will do light exercise over the next ten days, with their health closely monitored, “then the infiltrations should be gone” and their training can be increased.
Kimmich has not played since November 6, after which he tested positive and only came out of house quarantine this week.
“It annoys him that he is absent,” Nagelsmann revealed.
“He’s one of the most ambitious players we have. He’s someone who plays frequently and has ants in his pants now.”
Kimmich sparked a heated vaccination debate in October when he revealed that he had declined a vaccine against Covid due to “personal concerns.”
Nagelsmann said Kimmich is fully aware of the criticism he has taken, but insisted the footballer does not deserve to be treated as a scapegoat.
“There is no compulsory vaccination here (in Germany). He would have preferred the last few weeks to have been different,” admitted Nagelsmann, who like most of the Bayern squad is fully vaccinated.
While Bayern hope Kimmich and Choupo-Moting make full and speedy recoveries, other Bundesliga footballers have not been so fortunate.
One example is Freiburg’s French midfielder Jonathan Schmid, who has not played since August after contracting Covid and is still rebuilding his fitness more than three months later.
Kimmich has been warned not to rush his recovery.
“It will be a rocky road to a comeback,” Germany’s three-time wrestling world champion Frank Staebler told news portal t-online.
Staebler contracted Covid in late 2020 and after a long period of recovery, he won a Greco-Roman bronze medal at this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
But it was a lengthy process.
“In this case, (doing) a lot doesn’t help much. You just need a lot of patience,” Staebler added.
“Joshua Kimmich now has something he has never had before and that is very difficult to assess, because there are no long-term medical studies.”
Bayern star Kimmich ‘must be patient’ with covid recovery
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Bayern star Kimmich ‘must be patient’ with covid recovery
- Kimmich, who is unvaccinated, is not expected to play again until January as he recovers from lung damage caused by Covid
- On Friday, Nagelsmann made it clear Kimmich will miss Bayern's last three Bundesliga games of 2021 only as a precautionary measure
Al-Ittihad slump to fourth defeat of season in home loss to Al-Ettifaq
- Visitors’ Khalid Al-Ghannam scores only goal of the game as the reigning Saudi Pro League champs drop more points after drawing with Damac on Tuesday
- Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak ends with 1-1 draw against Al-Najma, and Al-Khaleej enjoy comfortable 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad’s disappointing defense of their Saudi Pro League title continued on Friday with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Al-Ettifaq.
Khalid Al-Ghannam scored the decisive goal for the visitors as the hosts dropped more points after their draw with Damac on Tuesday.
In the absence of Fabinho, who was suspended after being sent off late in Tuesday’s match, Mahamadou Doumbia partnered with N’golo Kante in midfield for Al-Ittihad. The Malian showed his composure early on when he shielded the ball under pressure before unleashing a long-range shot in the 10th minute, but it was comfortably saved by Marek Rodak.
The deployment of Al-Ghannam proved pivotal, as he repeatedly tested the hosts. In the 23rd minute he burst down the left flank, beating three defenders with some clever dribbling before testing Predrag Rajkovic in goal, who parried the effort.
Al-Ghannam bothered the defense again just minutes later, threatening the Serbian goalkeeper with another attempt from a similar position. However, the game remained goalless at halftime.
The second half began with Al-Ittihad on the front foot. Within minutes, Roger Fernandes found himself in front of goal and put the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Al-Ghannam’s effort and influence eventually paid off for the visitors in the 54th minute. Operating as a left-sided striker during an Al-Ettifaq counterattack, he cut inside to curl a powerful shot into the far corner.
Al-Ittihad’s attacking approach varied as they fought to get back into the game, with Fernandes patrolling the left flank, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti cutting inside near the byline, and central contributions from the combination of Doumbia and Steven Bergwijn. But the Al-Ettifaq defense remained resolute.
Danilo Pereira, pushing up into an advanced midfield position as Al-Ittihad forced Al-Ettifaq to defend deep, unleashed a long shot in the 67th minute, urged on by the home fans, but his effort went wide.
With time running out, Sergio Conceicao made four substitutions in the space of seven minutes, bringing on Ahmed Al-Julaydan at right-back for his crossing abilities, Abdulaziz Al-Bishi and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi to play between the lines, and Saleh Al-Shehri for added impetus up front.
Despite several chances, Al-Ittihad were unable to grab the equalizer, and in the 85th minute things got even worse for them. Keeper Rajkovic tripped on his way to confront a Mohau Nkota counterattack and stuck out his hand at the edge of the box to push the ball away. A review by the video assistant referee ruled he had handled the ball outside the box and he was shown the red card.
After seven minutes of added time, and one final attempt by Doumbia to salvage something for the hosts through a free-kick, the referee blew the final whistle.
It was the fourth defeat of the season for Al-Ittihad and means they remain in sixth place in the table, three behind Al-Qadsiah who have a game in hand. Al-Ettifaq are seventh, just two points behind the defending champions.
Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak came to an end when they returned from a trip to Qassim to face Al-Najma with only a point. The visitors took the lead in the 12th minute but a goal for the home side by Ali Jasim in the 75th denied them all three points as the game ended 1-1.
In the Eastern Province, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis proved the main inspirations for Al-Khaleej in a 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood that temporarily lifted them into seventh place in the table, until Al-Ettifaq reclaimed the spot.
On Saturday, Al-Fayha face Damac, Al-Kholood take on fourth-place Al-Ahli, and second-place Al-Nassr are in action against Al-Shabab.
