Lennart Karl Back After 84-Day Absence
- Lennart Karl, 18, returned from an 84-day absence with a late substitute appearance as Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 5-1 in the Bundesliga opener.
- Karl sustained a muscle fibre tear in his left thigh during training in Chicago on 5 June and says he is currently at approximately 90 per cent fitness.
- Karl has expressed hope that new Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp, who attended Friday's match, will name him in the Nations League squad for September and October.
Lennart Karl made his long-awaited return to competitive football on Friday evening as Bayern Munich produced a dominant 5-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga season opener, ending an 84-day absence that the 18-year-old described as among the hardest experiences of his young career.
The comeback
Karl entered the fray in the 84th minute at the Allianz Arena, replacing Harry Kane on the instructions of head coach Vincent Kompany. It was a moment freighted with significance for the Bayern winger, who had sustained a serious muscle fibre tear in his left anterior thigh during a training session in Chicago on 5 June — the eve of a World Cup warm-up fixture against the United States. Karl left the training pitch in tears. The injury ultimately kept him sidelined for 12 weeks, a duration described as unusually prolonged for that type of muscular damage.
Karl's account of his recovery
Speaking after the final whistle, Karl gave a candid account of what the lay-off had demanded of him. "I am very, very happy to be back," he said. "It was a very, very hard journey — at first more mentally, but afterwards more physically." He credited the support of his family, his girlfriend Zoe Käppele, Bayern's backroom staff, and his teammates for helping him through the period. "The squad supported me very, very well. The staff looked after me well during that tough time. That's certainly why I've come back well," he added.
Karl had resumed rehabilitation work at Bayern's Säbener Straße training ground from late June onwards. He was not alone in his recovery; Serge Gnabry, 31, is simultaneously working back from an adductor tear in his right thigh and was not yet available for the Stuttgart fixture.
Form and fitness
Prior to his injury, Karl had contributed nine goals and eight assists across 39 competitive appearances for Bayern in the previous season. On his own assessment, he is not yet back to full capacity. "Definitely not yet at 100 per cent, but I'm almost at 90, I think," he said. His brief cameo against Stuttgart, he acknowledged, was a first step rather than a full restoration of his previous level.
Eye on international duty
Karl, who has earned three senior caps for Germany, harbours hopes that new national team head coach Jürgen Klopp — who was present at the Allianz Arena on Friday — will include him in the squad for the forthcoming Nations League fixtures against the Netherlands on 24 September, Greece on 27 September, and Serbia on 1 and 4 October. "I hope I'm included. I'm working very hard to get completely fit again. Then we'll see what the national team coach does," Karl said. Whether Klopp will select a player by his own admission still short of full fitness remains an open question.
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