Bayern Munich said Jamal Musiala faces a “lengthy” recovery from a left leg fracture after his collision with Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Club World Cup.
Bayern said on Sunday that Musiala had flown back from Florida to Munich that morning for surgery on the injury he picked up in Saturday’s loss to PSG in the quarterfinals.
Bayern said doctors found Musiala “sustained a fracture of the fibula [a bone in the lower leg] associated with an ankle dislocation.”
“This serious injury and the lengthy lay-off are a real shock for Jamal and us all,” Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said in a statement.
“Jamal has just come back from an injury and will now be out for another long period. He’ll get everything he needs from us. We’ll support him intensively, be by his side and already look forward to when he’s back on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer criticised Donnarumma for the challenge.
“A situation where you don’t have to go in like that,” Neuer told reporters of Donnarumma, via Sky Germany. “That’s risky. He’s willing to accept the risk of injuring his opponent.
“I went up to him and said, ‘Don’t you want to go over to our player?’ It’s only right to go over and wish the guy well. He did that in the end. Fairness is always important. … I would have reacted differently.”
Donnarumma later posted a photo on Instagram of himself looking distraught following the injury, along with a message for Musiala that read: “All my prayers and well wishes are with you.”—ESPN
