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Another day, another disappointment regarding Manuel Neuer’s interminable rehabilitation. Last Friday, coach Jupp Heynckes expressed his hope that Neuer would be able to take the next step forward in his recovery and participate in a practice game.
That hope was disappointed yet again at the conclusion of training on Thursday: the team played a mini-game at the end of the session, but Neuer had long since left the field (Kicker).
It has been the routine all week: while the team plays a match, Neuer is elsewhere.
Während die Mannschaft ein Trainingsmatch absolviert, macht @Manuel_Neuer mit Torwart-Trainer #Tapalovic Torwart-Training am Nebenplatz. Zuvor war er bei Passübungen und einer Spielform bei den Kollegen dabei. @BILD_Bayern #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/g77SWhxLxq
— Philipp Kessler (@kessler_philipp) May 8, 2018
While the team plays a practice match, Manual Neuer does goalkeeper training on a side pitch with goalkeeping coach Tapalovic. Before that he participated in passing exercises and a drill with his teammates.
There thus is no chance that Neuer will feature at all against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, and his status for the DFB-Pokal final on May 19th appears increasingly doubtful. Neuer himself stated that he cannot imagine playing for Germany at the World Cup without any playing time, but the decision whether he comes to Russia or not rests with Jogi Löw.
It would not be too far-fetched if Löw gave Neuer the playing time he so badly needs in the the World Cup group stage itself, where Germany are strong favorites to advance (they are in Group F with South Korea, Mexico, and Sweden), rather than leave the best keeper in the world, even one out of form, sitting idly at home.
Neuer's worrisome injury and protracted recover, however, have made many question whether he will be fit for the World Cup at all.
For a full timeline of Neuer’s injury, see this fanpost by at_sunshine.