Neuer must step aside! Kompany confirms goalkeeper change at Bayern | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany has been rotated a lot at FC Bayern in recent weeks. Now regular goalkeeper and FCB captain Manuel Neuer is also affected. The 39-year-old will have to sit on the substitutes‘ bench for the Bundesliga match against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The first rumours were already circulating on Thursday that 22-year-old Jonas Urbig could move into the starting eleven for the away game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. At the pre-match press conference, Kompany officially confirmed the speculation: „Jonas Urbig will start tomorrow. Normally I don’t say anything about the starting eleven. But I’ve learnt that goalkeepers are always a bit different. We’ve discussed it clearly, which also has to do with the fact that Jonas plays in Cologne.“

Neuer’s cup suspension as the trigger

Photo: IMAGO

Background to the decision: Manuel Neuer is suspended for the upcoming DFB Cup match against 1. FC Köln. The captain received a red card in last year’s cup round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen after a foul on Jeremie Frimpong and will have to sit out one more match.

Kompany wants to give Urbig match practice in Gladbach in order to prepare him optimally for a competitive match. This should help the young goalkeeper build up the necessary rhythm and gain confidence for the cup tie in his home city. „The match against Cologne is so important that we want to give Jonas a fair chance,“ emphasised Kompany.

For Urbig, the game marks a special comeback. The former Cologne player tore a muscle fibre in training at the end of September and was out for around two weeks. He is now fit again – and is immediately the centre of attention.

The two upcoming games against Gladbach and Cologne are emotionally charged for him anyway: Urbig comes from Cologne and only moved from the Effzeh to Munich at the beginning of the year.

At FC Bayern, the 22-year-old is seen as a potential long-term successor to Manuel Neuer. Urbig already received valuable playing time in the last second half of the season: in twelve competitive matches, he deputised convincingly for the injured Neuer and proved that he has what it takes to play for Bayern. So far this season, he has only made one appearance in the cup against Wiesbaden.