“I find it difficult when ...”: Bayern Munich’s Max Eberl responds with a sardonic question of his own to Michael Ballack’s criticism of the club’s bosses over Lennart Karl

Bayern Munich’s board member for sport Max Eberl has responded to fierce attacks from Lennart Karl’s agent Michael Ballack with a sarcastic question of his own.

"I don't know whether he said that as a DAZN pundit or as the player's adviser," Eberl said after Bayern Munich's 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening. He was referring to Ballack's dual role and his headline-grabbing comments about the Bayern bosses' criticism of Karl.

The former Germany captain represents the Bayern youngster through his agency, Lucky 13. He also works as a pundit for streaming service DAZN, where he defended Karl against criticism from Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeneß.

"Lennart is 18 years old. Where were you at 18? Just as he is trying things out on the pitch, he is doing so off it," Ballack had stressed. "Social media is a major factor today, and not just for the younger generation. Everyone is free to present themselves as they wish. Of course, you don't get everything right when you do that. Unfortunately, people are bound to pass judgement."

What did Uli Hoeneß criticise Lennart Karl for?

Ballack's comments appeared to be a dig at Hoeneß, who recently criticised Karl again for his sometimes extravagant public image. "Young players need humility and pressure. Comparisons with Olise are obviously not doing him any good; they are still worlds apart. For example, I don't know whether it does Lennart Karl any good if people always just put an arm around him," Hoeneß said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag.

According to a report by Bild, several Bayern officials are said to be troubled by Karl's "glamour lifestyle", as the tabloid puts it, and want the 18-year-old to be more down-to-earth. Karl also struggled to impress on the pitch in the opening weeks of this season and went through a slight dip.

Ballack also took issue with Eberl publicly criticising Karl's form: "The fact that Max Eberl is now saying Lennart went through a dip in form, embellished with missteps, when his performances are clearly improving again, is hard to understand in terms of timing and at the very least deserves to be questioned in terms of substance," said the 50-year-old.

Eberl responds to Ballack: "I find it difficult when ..."

Speaking to Sky after the big match against Borussia Dortmund, Eberl responded directly to Ballack's criticism: "Honestly, I find it difficult when a dispute is conducted through the media," the Bayern sporting chief stressed, adding: "We knew there could be a dip in his development at some point. And that's all we said. You can see things are improving again and he's on the right track. I'm impressed by how this young man puts it to one side. That's what I said on behalf of Bayern Munich." Eberl then added, addressing Ballack: "So I didn't quite understand what he said as an adviser or a pundit."

Against Borussia Dortmund, Karl came on shortly before the end and almost won the match for the record champions, but his fine shot struck the crossbar. The four-cap Germany international, about whose situation three top English clubs are said to have enquired recently, has one goal and two assists in 12 appearances across all competitions this season.