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Tom Starke formally ended his playing career last season after memorably and quite unexpectedly finding himself in the starting lineup, when injuries sidelined both Manuel Neuer and his backup Sven Ulreich - putting in a Man-of-the-Match performance against Darmstadt.
Starke will be back at Säbener Straße a little sooner rather than later: all three of Bayern's goalkeepers - including, third keeper Christian Früchtl - are still recovering from injuries and not yet fit to train with the team. As Starke told kicker,
The club asked me whether I might be available again after all. For me, that was a no-brainer.
Come July 1, Starke will be ready for the new season yet again: as acting practice goalkeeper. Once this temporary assignment ends, Starke will set out on his actual post-playing career: joining Bayern’s youth development center as coach.