Vincent Kompany is “in good spirits” and getting better each day in hospital, Bayern Munich assistant Aaron Danks said at the pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal tie with Magdeburg. What he did not do was name a day for the manager’s return.
“There are no major updates in terms of diagnosis or return to work. Let him rest, let him take his time,” Danks said.
The 40-year-old Belgian collapsed at the club’s training ground on Friday 23 October while watching the second team train, and was taken to hospital for emergency treatment. He had been fighting a virus in the days before. Sporting director Max Eberl has already said the absence will be measured “in terms of weeks” rather than days.
The lifestyle Bild says led here
German outlet Bild has since set out the backdrop. According to the paper’s reporting, Kompany was sleeping only around five hours a night, eating at irregular hours, drinking large amounts of coffee and barely exercising. Staff at the club had grown uneasy about his routine for weeks.
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The workload itself is the picture Bild paints most sharply: Kompany was involved at every level of the club, from tactical video sessions late into the night to transfer discussions and even operational decisions about the training ground, including the choice of fencing.
Bild says he kept at it through the virus rather than scaling back.
Eberl promises to shield him
The club’s response has been to acknowledge the problem out loud. Eberl said Bayern would do more to protect their manager from himself once he returns.
“Vincent’s health is our top priority. At Bayern, we will do everything we can to ensure he makes a speedy recovery,” Eberl said when the collapse was first announced.
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For now, the medical staff are keeping Kompany away from football entirely. Danks confirmed he had visited his boss in hospital on Monday and deliberately avoided the topic.
Danks in charge for a week that includes Der Klassiker
Danks will stay in the dugout for the Magdeburg cup tie on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Arena, then again at the weekend when Bayern face Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker. Both fixtures come with Bayern already short-handed: Joshua Kimmich is away following a family bereavement, with Manuel Neuer, Luis Díaz and Kim Min-jae also sidelined.
Danks also pointed to a week of sharp contrasts. Harry Kane had won the Ballon d’Or in London on Monday.
“Full extremes of life in the last week. Joys and highs for Harry and the lows of the last days. To get through these moments we had to rely on our chemistry, our team spirit and that definitely helped us,” he said.
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