Jamal Musiala’s illness: Stefan Effenberg makes a clear demand of Bayern Munich

Former Germany international Stefan Effenberg has called on Bayern Munich to provide more detailed information regarding Jamal Musiala's illness.

"I now expect Bayern, ideally together with an expert in neurology, to provide direct information on the state of their player's health," Effenberg wrote in his column for t-online. "They must immediately ensure greater transparency so that all outstanding questions are answered. That is fundamental."

Musiala recently collapsed on the pitch during the two friendlies against RB Leipzig and 1. FC Heidenheim. Afterwards, the 23-year-old wrote in an Instagram statement that he had been diagnosed with "temporarily brief but easily treatable absences", which "are due to a neurological dysfunction".

Since then, public debate has centred on the short and long-term effects the illness could have on the course of his career. "Not addressing these circumstances now would be a major mistake by Bayern," Effenberg believes. "In doing so, they would be doing themselves, but above all Musiala, a disservice. Because then exactly these questions would come up again at every opportunity, and would cause unrest that would be brought into the club from the outside. They must not allow that."

Jamal Musiala now has to master "two challenges at once"

In Effenberg's view, Musiala's Instagram post still leaves "quite a few unanswered questions", "about which it is forbidden to speculate: How much playing time will Musiala get? How exactly will these absences, this kind of epileptic seizure that can happen to him, be treated?"

Neurologist Dr Regina Becker offered some insight into those questions in an interview with SPOX. She said she was "not worried about his future career with this form of epilepsy". The medications available are "promising", Dr Becker stressed: "Most patients become completely seizure-free as a result." But Musiala may be facing "lifelong therapy".

Effenberg believes Musiala now has to overcome "two challenges at once". He must not only come to terms with the illness itself, but also with the "mental strain that comes with it" caused by the "constant scrutiny of an audience of millions, who will now look very closely and hold their breath every time" he is on the pitch.

That is not expected to be the case in the Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. But Musiala is expected to be available again for the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart next Friday.