Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany is expected to need weeks to recover after collapsing at the club’s training ground on Friday, with director of sport Max Eberl saying the manager needs to be “protected from himself”.
The 40-year-old former Manchester City and Belgium defender remains in a stable condition in hospital, where medical examinations are continuing.
Eberl said the club would not set a recovery deadline until doctors had established what caused Kompany’s collapse.
“Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We’re not starting to put together any timeframes,” Eberl said.
“We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we’ll discuss calmly what the recovery time is to be. We won’t be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that.”
Bayern Considered Postponing Freiburg Match
Bayern Munich considered requesting a postponement of their Bundesliga match against Freiburg on Sunday following Kompany’s hospitalisation.
However, Eberl said the club believed playing and securing a positive result could be beneficial while the manager focuses on his recovery.
Kompany collapsed while watching Bayern’s second team train. He had previously been unwell with a virus and missed Tuesday’s pre-match news conference ahead of the club’s Champions League fixture against Arsenal.
Despite his illness, he was on the touchline for Wednesday’s match.
Eberl Questions Whether Kompany Should Have Rested Earlier
Eberl acknowledged that Bayern might have needed to intervene earlier to ensure Kompany did not continue working while unwell.
He questioned whether the club should have encouraged the manager to rest before his condition deteriorated.
“The fact is, we protect our coach wherever we can,” Eberl said.
“If a coach says he feels ready to do something, then we’re not going to say ‘we won’t allow that’ if we don’t know what’s going on.”
Eberl added that individuals also had a responsibility to recognise when they could no longer continue working.
“Vinnie’s a hard worker. If you don’t listen to the subtle signals your body sends, eventually it will scream out in pain,” he said.
He said Bayern would give Kompany the time he needed to recover and would make greater efforts to protect him from pushing himself too hard.
Assistant Coach Keeps Football Operations Running
Kompany’s assistant, Aaron Danks, has spoken to the Bayern manager in hospital.
Danks said their conversation focused on Kompany’s health rather than football matters.
“I explained to him that we would be having no football conversations,” Danks said. “It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK.”
He added that the coaching staff would manage the club’s football operations while Kompany recovers.
“All the football operations are in our hands and we’ll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward,” Danks said.
Kompany Has Won Successive Bundesliga Titles With Bayern
Kompany joined Bayern Munich in May 2024 after leaving Burnley, whom he had guided to the Championship title in the 2022-23 season before they were relegated from the Premier League.
Before moving into management, he spent 11 years as a player at Manchester City, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.
Since taking charge of Bayern, Kompany has led the German club to successive Bundesliga titles.
The club has not announced a return date for the manager, with Eberl saying medical assessments must be completed before his recovery timeline can be determined.
