The lowdown on Dr. Braun and the return of Müller-Wohlfahrt

According to a new story by Bild (paywall), Bayern Munich's former head doctor Dr. Volker Braun did not, in fact, request to be released, but rather was fired by none other than sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

News of Braun's departure broke on Monday. According to Bayern Munich's official press release, Braun had requested to be released so that he could concentrate on his private practice and spend time with his family. Despite Braun's and the club's official positions, many suspected that Braun was already under fire internally.

Bild in particular speculated that Braun had come under scrutiny for not always “applying the best treatment methods,” most notably in the case of Manuel Neuer's injury. Neuer took umbrage at that suggestion and rushed to Braun's defense on social media, denying unequivocally that he had refractured his foot because Braun had failed to treat him with the best methods available.

Be that as it may, Bild now is arguing that several misdiagnoses were the primary grounds for dismissing Braun. In particular, Braun apparently had recommended shutting down both Jerome Boateng and David Alaba for the rest of 2017 after they experienced muscle problems.

When Bayern got a second opinion from former head doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, he diagnosed them with a mild case of muscle hardening.

Now it appears that Müller-Wohlfahrt and his team may rejoin Bayern Munich, two years after abruptly parting ways over disputes with then-coach Pep Guardiola. Bayern Munich thus would stabilize yet another crucial part of the team infrastructure by returning to a trusted collaborator.