Bayern Munich head coach, Vincent Kompany, will need weeks to recover after collapsing at the club’s training ground, director of sport Max Eberl has said.
The 40-year-old remains in a stable condition in hospital, with medical examinations continuing to determine the cause of the incident.
Kompany collapsed on Friday while watching Bayern’s second team train and had been unwell with a virus and missed Tuesday’s pre-match news conference ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League encounter with Arsenal.
Despite his illness, the former Manchester City defender was on the touchline for Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
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Eberl admitted that the club had questioned whether it should have intervened earlier to prevent Kompany from pushing himself too hard.
“Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We’re not starting to put together any timeframes,” Eberl said.
“We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we’ll discuss calmly what the recovery time is to be. We won’t be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that.”
Eberl said Bayern had considered asking for Sunday’s Bundesliga match against Freiburg to be postponed but believed playing and winning could provide a positive boost for the club.
He added that Kompany needed to be protected, even from his own determination to continue working.
“Vinnie’s a hard worker. If you don’t listen to the subtle signals your body sends, eventually it will scream out in pain,” Eberl said.
“Vinnie will be given that time [now], and we’ll continue to try, even more than before, to protect him from himself.”
Kompany’s assistant, Aaron Danks, said he had spoken with the coach in hospital but avoided discussing football.
“I explained to him that we would be having no football conversations,” Danks said. “It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK.”
Danks added that Bayern’s coaching staff would work together to keep the team moving forward while Kompany recovers.
Kompany joined Bayern in May 2024 after managing Burnley, whom he guided to the Championship title in the 2022-23 season. He has since led the German club to successive Bundesliga titles.
During his 11 years as a Manchester City player, Kompany won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.
