'It's not good' - Manuel Neuer injury nightmare and horror error overshadows record-breaking day for Bayern Munich legend
Manuel Neuer's difficult season continued as he suffered a recurring foot injury and made another glaring error during Bayern Munich's 2-1 victory over Mainz. The veteran goalkeeper was forced off before half-time, raising fresh concerns over his physical condition and form.
Neuer endures difficult afternoon at Mainz
Bayern secured a 2-1 victory away to Mainz, but the focus quickly shifted to Neuer. The veteran goalkeeper's form is under intense scrutiny following another concerning performance.
Neuer became Bayern's oldest-ever player at 40 years and 225 days, surpassing Bernd Dreher. However, his milestone appearance was cut short before half-time due to a recurring foot injury. Before his early substitution for 23-year-old Jonas Urbig, Neuer made a severe misjudgement. He was left flailing at a cross that allowed Lee Jae-Sung to score, though the Bavarians were saved by the offside flag.
Bayern sweat on recurring foot issue
The injury is a major concern for Bayern, as Neuer recently missed four matches with the exact same foot problem. He had only just returned for their midweek Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid. With head coach Vincent Kompany absent due to illness, assistant coach Aaron Danks provided a worrying update on the goalkeeper's condition.
"He felt something in his foot again," Danks revealed after the final whistle. "At the moment we don't know anything, but it was obviously not good."
Statistics highlight severe decline in form
The near-miss against Mainz was just the latest in a growing list of mistakes from a player once considered the best goalkeeper in the world. Last month, his error against Augsburg allowed Robin Fellhauer to score the fastest goal in Bundesliga history after just eight seconds.
Opta highlights a stark decline in Neuer's reliability. His mistake against Augsburg was his fifth error leading to a goal in his previous 17 league games, averaging one every 3.4 matches. This represents a massive drop in his usual standards. In his 248 appearances prior to this recent run, he committed just ten such errors, equating to one every 24.8 games.
Kane assists keep Bayern top of table
Despite the concerns surrounding Neuer, Bayern extended their unbeaten away league run to 31 games. Harry Kane failed to score but provided assists for Joshua Kimmich and 18-year-old Lennart Karl. The victory keeps Bayern top of the Bundesliga table on 21 points, sitting ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference.
