German Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer Ruled Out With Knee Fracture
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been ruled out for several weeks with a knee issue. Neuer underwent knee surgery in early-February, keeping him out for up to two months.
Since breaking through at Schalke in 2006-07, this is the second time the Germany goalkeeper will miss considerable time through injury.
Neuer has amassed 38 or more appearances in every season other than 2017-18, when he played just four times due to a foot problem. Neuer has been something of an ironman, with over 800 appearances for club and country before turning 36.
This knee fracture appears to be nothing more than a minor injury, but the need for surgery will have some worrying in Bavaria.
His foot problem from 2017 began in April of the 2016-17 campaign and effectively ruled him out for all of the following season. Injuries are not always as simple as they seem – Bayern will be desperate to have Neuer back in the fold before the end of this campaign.
Bayern are once again running away with the Bundesliga, and they shouldn’t be under any threat even after Neuer’s meniscus tear.
It’s unclear how long Neuer has been playing with the injury – knee fractures can be treated without surgery sometimes, but it seems like Neuer was dealing with too much pain to play through it.
Perhaps the knee problem was influencing what had been a down year (the Bayern physios had reportedly been managing the injury for a while before a recent flare up).
Neuer’s -2.1 post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed figure was worse than all but five Bundesliga goalkeepers to have played 10 or more 90s. Neuer had clocked +2.2 and +2.5 in the previous two seasons.
Manuel Neuer Injury Update
The German goalkeeper underwent surgery on February 6th. The procedure took place the day after Neuer starred as Bayern beat RB Leipzig, and the club did not give an official timeline, though the general expectation is that he will miss six to eight weeks.
Bayern sport director Hasan Salihamidzic said, “All of us at the club and the whole team wish Manuel a good and speedy recovery, and we’re sure he will soon be back to top fitness with us.”
Physiotherapist and ‘movement expert’ Dr Rajpal Brar explained the likely nature of Neuer’s injury in a YouTube video.
Brar said it is ‘likely a partial meniscectomy which trims out the irritated piece of tissue’.
He added, “Outcomes are typically quite good in the short and medium term, but there can be some knock-on effects when this surgery is performed on the lateral, outer meniscus due to certain biomechanical properties.”
As is often the case with injuries, not much was heard after Neuer had the surgery. Neuer took part in a social media Q&A over the 19th-20th February weekend, however, and was very positive about his recovery.
The German goalkeeper said, “I’m doing very well. Everything is going as planned and I’m making good progress. In rehab I usually train twice a day. Before and after the sessions I still have treatments with the physiotherapists.
“When I’m healthy and fit, I train only once a day – even in my free time.”
Manuel Neuer Injury History
Manuel Neuer height is 6’4, and he’s always covered a lot of ground for a goalkeeper. It’s perhaps a surprise he hasn’t suffered more major injuries throughout his career.
The metatarsal issues in 2017 and 2018 were the only other prolonged absences for Neuer. He had missed just one game in his career until March 2017.
Niggling injuries have crept up since then, including a finger issue that caused him to sit out three matches over 12 days in early 2019.
There was a calf problem that took him out for two games later in the 2018-19 season, and a torn muscle fibre sidelined the German goalkeeper for a month between April and May 2019.
More recently, Neuer was unavailable as Bayern lost to Borussia Monchengladbach at the start of 2022. That’s the only match he’s missed all season.
Since Neuer’s surgery, Bayern lost to Bochum in the Bundesliga, drew with Salzburg in the last 16 of the Champions League and beat Greuther Fuerth.
They are yet to keep a clean sheet without Neuer, and he’s not expected to return in time for the second leg against Salzburg on March 8th.
Bayern’s Backup
With the surgery coming just after the January transfer window, Bayern’s hands were tied. There was no hope of recalling Alexander Nübel from his loan at Monaco, leaving Sven Ulreich as the starting goalkeeper until Neuer returns.
Following Nübel’s arrival, Ulreich opted to join Hamburg in 2020.
He spent just one season with the club, clocking 32 appearances, before his contract was terminated and he re-signed with Bayern in the 2021 summer transfer window. Over his last three full seasons with the club, Ulreich has played just 18 times.
The downgrade from Neuer is obviously significant. However, despite conceding four to Bochum, Ulreich has generally performed well since Neuer’s injury.
Bayern’s defensive issues go far beyond the goalkeeper, and Ulreich is experienced enough to cope with such a high-pressure job. He’s got almost 400 club appearances to his name after all.
