Vincent Kompany back at Bayern Munich training ground 18 days after collapse

Back at the training ground

Vincent Kompany returned to the Säbener Straße on Tuesday morning, 10 November, about two and a half weeks after he collapsed there. Several outlets reported that the Bayern Munich head coach was seen in his office working on a laptop, and Sky Sport confirmed the report. Some accounts place the return on Monday, but most describe Tuesday morning. The Portuguese outlet Notícias ao Minuto, citing TZ, said Kompany arrived shortly after 10am and went straight to his office to catch up on what he had missed. From his window he also watched a recovery session for players who had not been called up by their national teams.

Collapse and diagnosis

Kompany collapsed on 23 October while watching a training session of the club's U23 side at the Säbener Straße. He was taken to hospital, where doctors diagnosed meningeal irritation, and N-tv reported that he spent six days there. After his discharge he was told to rest and take medication, and assistant coach Aaron Danks has deputised for him since then. It remains unclear whether Kompany will immediately take back all of his duties. The club said he could take all the time he needs to recover fully. According to Notícias ao Minuto, his father Pierre Kompany had warned about his demanding work pattern in a Bild interview roughly a year and a half earlier.

Hoeneß sets the timeline

Honorary president Uli Hoeneß told the Bayerischer Rundfunk programme Sonntags-Stammtisch that the coach would return in two or three weeks. Asked when Kompany would be back, he said the coach would sit on the bench again after the international break. Hoeneß also described the workload that had worn Kompany down:

“He works twelve hours a day, six days a week. That was simply too much.”

The club has not yet fixed a date for the comeback, and the break is being used to assess when Kompany can return to work on the bench.

Danks and the run of results

Assistant coach Aaron Danks had several good telephone calls with Kompany before he spoke publicly about the coach's condition. Danks said the coach seemed very positive, adding:

“He seems very positive and seems to be on the way to complete recovery.”

Danks also said no date had been set, and he has posted on Instagram that he looks forward to having Kompany back where he belongs. In the five competitive matches under Danks, Bayern won four and drew one, a draw against Borussia Dortmund.

Next fixture

Bayern host 1. FC Köln on Friday, 20 November, the first game after the international break, at the Allianz Arena. The club sits on 21 points from nine matches, level with Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga. Under Danks, Bayern reached the DFB-Pokal round of 16 and kept alive their hopes of a direct place in the Champions League round of 16. Kompany's return would therefore come directly after the break, with the Köln match as the first chance to see him on the bench again.