Bayern expect Vincent Kompany to miss weeks after virus collapse

By SABC Sport
24th October 2026

Bayern Munich expect coach Vincent Kompany to be sidelined for weeks rather than days after collapsing at the training ground with a virus, sporting director Max Eberl has confirmed.

The 40-year-old remains in hospital in a stable condition as medical examinations continue. Bayern have yet to establish exactly how long he will need to recover.

"We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we'll discuss calmly what recovery time is to be," Eberl told reporters on Saturday. "We won't be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that."

Eberl stressed that Bayern would not rush Kompany's return, insisting the former Manchester City and Belgium captain would be given all the time he needed to recover fully.

Assistant coach Aaron Danks will take charge of the defending Bundesliga champions for Sunday's trip to Freiburg as the club continues its preparations without Kompany.

Danks revealed that he had spoken briefly to his manager on Friday but deliberately avoided discussing football.

"I explained to him that we wouldn't be having any football conversations. It was just checking in on his health and making sure he's OK," Danks said.

"All the football operations are in our hands and we'll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward."

Bayern's second-team fixture was postponed following Kompany's collapse, but the club decided against requesting a postponement of Sunday's Bundesliga match.

Eberl believes a strong performance and a positive result would be the best way for the players to support their manager during his recovery.

"I think the greatest joy for Vinnie would be for us to play well tomorrow and, ideally, get a positive result," he said. "That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover."

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will also miss the Freiburg match after taking bereavement leave earlier in the week, Danks confirmed.

Kompany had returned to the dugout for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Arsenal despite missing the pre-match press conference because of his illness. After the match, he admitted that pushing through the virus had taken its toll.

"I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course I didn't listen to my body - and then at some point my body just said, 'enough is enough!'" he explained.

Bayern remain top of the Bundesliga ahead of Sunday's fixture, with Freiburg one point behind them. Their next Champions League assignment is against Atletico Madrid in Spain on November 3.