Hoffenheim still wants Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards as Julian Nagelsmann ponders how to best manage the roster

According to a report from kicker (as captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia), the immediate future of Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards is still up in the air as Julian Nagelsmann has not yet made up his mind if needs the American on his depth chart for this season.

Nagelsmann’s decision could be delayed as the club deals with injuries to Lucas Hernandez and Alphonso Davies. Per the report, Hoffenheim is still looking to bring back the impressive 21-year-old, who had an extremely strong second half of the season in the Bundesliga while playing for Die Kraichgauer.

Even with the relatively serious injuries to Hernandez and Davies — and the minor ailment Niklas Süle picked up last week — Bayern Munich has some pretty incredible depth on its backline. In addition to Richards, Dayot Upamecano, Tanguy Nianzou, Benjamin Pavard, Josip Stanisic, Omar Richards, and Bouna Sarr are all expected to compete for playing time with the aforementioned injured Bavarians.

In addition, Jamie Lawrence and Bright Arrey-Mbi have made strong impressions on campus, while Lars Lukas Mai is another solid prospect, who is away on loan with Werder Bremen.

Clearly, Bayern Munich has done a very good job in evaluating defensive prospects over the recent years. Ultimately, though, Nagelsmann will have to decide if Chris Richards could benefit more from a season of regular playing time with Hoffenheim or if his presence is too valuable to the squad’s depth at Bayern Munich.