With Manuel Neuer now set to be sidelined for at least three weeks for Bayern Munich due to a torn muscle fiber in his left calf, Jonas Urbig will be the man in between the posts for the Bundesliga champions for the time being. He came on from the start of the second half in the 3-0 win at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga this past weekend after there was bemusement to see Neuer come out of the tunnel in warmup gear with what looked to be a cup of coffee or tea in his hand.
Immediately after the match, the internal feeling at Bayern was that Neuer’s calf discomfort was nothing serious and his absence from the second half was mostly precautionary, however that was not the case as further assessment revealed.
For Urbig, this is another chance for starting minutes for the backup keeper that Bayern bought last winter to eventually become the long-term replacement for Neuer at the club. The Bremen win was his eighth appearance of the season across all competitions, but he’s now slated for at least another three to four matches while Neuer is sidelined for three weeks including the upcoming Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund.
Per information from Bild (via @iMiaSanMia), this window of opportunity could very well have implications for Urbig’s potential involvement with the German national team. In addition to Neuer claiming he will stand firm in his decision to stay retired from the national team, the keeper situation has grown complex for Julian Nagelsmann ahead of this summer’s World Cup. Marc-André ter Stegen has unfortunately suffered yet another considerable injury and with Neuer now out of the picture, it was really his time to be the number one keeper after spending so many years as Neuer’s understudy, but now things have changed.
With strong performances while he stands in for Neuer, Urbig could cement his name in the conversation for being in the 26-man roster for the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer as well as further confirming Bayern’s belief that he can eventually take over as the number one at the club. Alexander Nübel, Noah Atubolu and Finn Dahmen are all in the picture, too, but considered to be behind Urbig.