Timeframe, change in treatment, side effects – and praise: Eberl and Kompany reveal further background to the illness of Bayern star Jamal Musiala
Head coach Vincent Kompany and board member for sport Max Eberl of Bayern Munich gave further detailed insights into Jamal Musiala's illness at a press conference on Friday.
The 23-year-old has long been living with the absence episodes caused by a neurological dysfunction, which he has now made public. Eberl did not say exactly when the problem first emerged, but said: "We have known about it for the whole of last season and worked with it. For us, it has become part of everyday life."
Musiala fractured his fibula in July last year in the Club World Cup quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain. He returned in January after several months out, but has since struggled with various minor knocks and still has not rediscovered his old form. During that period, he had apparently already been taking medication for his absence epilepsy.
The collapses seen in full public view during the friendlies against RB Leipzig on Saturday and 1. FC Heidenheim on Tuesday were triggered by a change in medication. "He changed a little bit in his treatment. That had a few side effects," Kompany explained. "That is why it happened the first and the second time. It is completely normal to try something different during treatment."
Eberl said: "Every person who takes tablets is happy if they no longer have to take tablets." The task now is "to adjust the medication so that we get back to where we already were, where he had been seizure-free for a very, very long time".
Jamal Musiala is not in the squad against BVB
Kompany also addressed how long Musiala's illness has been normalised internally: "Our first moment of shock was quite some time ago. Since then, we have received much more information and understood the situation much better. We have made every decision with the very best information from the very top experts. We are not dealing with unrest, quite the opposite."
As an example, Kompany pointed to the reaction of the support staff and many team-mates during the second incident against Heidenheim. "The bench was totally calm. Michael Olise, Jamal's best mate, was busy with tactical instructions at the bench," said Kompany. In fact, quite a number of players, including Jonathan Tah, immediately rushed over to Musiala and formed a protective circle around him during treatment on the pitch.
According to Kompany, Musiala is currently training only "individually" and will therefore not be in the squad for the Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday either. This is not because of general concerns, but because of the latest change in medication. "We want him to make this adaptation in his treatment without pressure," said Kompany.
Vincent Kompany praises Jamal Musiala's sporting development
Kompany also used his statement to praise Musiala's performances in the two friendlies before he went off. "One thing is still missing in the analysis. There are also five minutes against Heidenheim and ten minutes against Leipzig when he played football," said Kompany.
"Look at the minutes he played. He did things there that were not at the same level as our best players, but one level higher. That is not how we have seen Jamal since his injury against Paris." Against Leipzig, he even scored the goal that made it 3-1 at the end.
Musiala will probably be back in the squad for the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart next Friday. "I am looking forward to the counter-attack that will come from Jamal at some point," said Kompany. "I have the feeling that he once again has all the tools to answer the questions on the pitch. In the bigger picture, I know that he has made huge progress this summer."
