Bayern expect Kompany out for weeks after training ground collapse leaves him hospitalised

Vincent Kompany is expected to miss several weeks of football after collapsing at Bayern Munich’s training ground on Friday, with the club’s sporting director Max Eberl confirming the head coach remains hospitalised in a stable condition.

Kompany had been battling a viral infection throughout the week but still appeared on the touchline for Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League. His condition deteriorated sharply at training the following day, leading to his hospitalisation.

“We won’t be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that,” Eberl told a press conference on Saturday. The sporting director added that Bayern would need to “protect” their coach and allow him as much time as necessary to recover, with no firm timeline being set until the nature of the illness is better understood.

Kompany himself had acknowledged after the Arsenal draw that he had ignored warning signs from his body. “I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course I didn’t listen to my body,” he said. “And then at some point my body just said: ‘Enough is enough.’”.

In Kompany’s absence, assistant coach Aaron Danks — a former Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion caretaker manager — will take charge of Bayern’s Bundesliga fixture against Freiburg on Sunday. Danks said his conversation with Kompany after the collapse was focused entirely on his health rather than football matters.

“I explained to him that we wouldn’t be having no football conversations,” Danks said. “It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK. All the football operations are in our hands and we’ll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward.”

Bayern currently sit at the top of the Bundesliga table, and the timing of Kompany’s absence adds significant pressure to a squad still competing on multiple fronts in Europe.