“I’m in pain every day”: Manuel Neuer makes explosive admission and speaks up for Lennart Karl
Manuel Neuer makes his comeback in goal for Bayern Munich against Atletico Madrid. Afterwards, he reveals just how much his appearance had been in doubt and also speaks up for Lennart Karl.
After the reigning German champions' 2-0 win over the Rojiblancos, Neuer told DAZN that on the morning of the match, he still did not know whether he could play.
"I had pain every day when walking. And when I got up in the morning, including this morning, I had pain when walking again," said Neuer, who was determined to play against Atletico. He even resorted to an unusual measure: "I was in the water on the roof terrace this morning, with the water at 14 degrees. And gradually it got better and better."
Only during the warm-up, moments before kick-off, did he know he could start. Neuer made a point of thanking Bayern Munich's medical team: "The medical department did everything it could. It really hasn't been an easy situation for me over the past days and weeks. But I believed I could do it."
Neuer kept a clean sheet for only the fourth time this season against Atletico, though he otherwise had a quiet evening at the Estadio Metropolitano. Tendon irritation in his foot, which had emerged in mid-October, had recently kept him out of Bayern Munich's side.
He therefore missed the matches against Freiburg (3-1), Magdeburg (6-1) and Borussia Dortmund (2-2). His designated successor Jonas Urbig took his place, then returned to the bench against Atletico.
Manuel Neuer speaks up for Lennart Karl
As well as discussing his injury, Neuer spoke to DAZN about team-mate Lennart Karl, who had repeatedly made headlines at the German record champions in recent weeks. Karl showed signs of emerging from his dip in form by scoring the opening goal against Atletico.
Club patron Uli Hoeneß, for example, had accused Karl of showing too little humility and announced that he wanted to speak to the 18-year-old soon. Karl was "still a long way from being a superstar; young players need humility. Comparisons with Olise are obviously not good for him; there is still a world of difference between them. [...] Young players need pressure too. For example, I don't know whether it does Lennart Karl any good if people only ever put an arm around him," said Hoeneß.
Meanwhile, Bild recently reported that Hoeneß was allegedly not the only person within Bayern Munich bothered by Karl's "glamour lifestyle", as the tabloid put it. Karl's recent dip in form is entirely normal for someone of his young age, but media debate about the four-cap Germany international has intensified. Among those to comment were Karl's agent Michael Ballack and Bayern Munich's board member for sport Max Eberl.
"Lenny is a very important part of the team. He is part of the group, so we are happy for him. We always want him to have the best possible game and put in great performances. He showed that again today," said Neuer in support of his young team-mate. The 40-year-old added: "There is nothing to discuss and nothing to make an issue of."
Karl responded to the ongoing debate with a distinctive celebration against Atletico. After scoring to make it 1-0, Bayern Munich's attacking gem held both hands to his ears in a "blah-blah" gesture. In other words: I'm not interested in your chatter.
