Bayern Munich training updates: Thomas Müller zig-zags his way to full health, and more!

Bayern Munich resumed training today after a stress-relieving stomping of SC Freiburg on Matchday 10 of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season. In the spotlight? Thomas Müller’s slightly belated return from his surprise injury departure last week, plus head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s apparent rotation plans with a DFB-Pokal cup match upcoming this Wednesday.

Müller had walked off in the first half of a Champions League match against FC Viktoria Plzeň, and the discomfort persisted to keep him out of yesterday’s league match against Freiburg. He’s running again now:

...and though the picture doesn’t capture it, Bild reports that fitness coach Thomas Wilhelmi had him zig-zagging around the pitch in order to stress test different areas. Sounds like Müller is still probing at what's nagging him and not yet going full-speed, with only one more day of training to go. As Nagelsmann admitted: “We don’t know how it looks with Thomas for Wednesday.”

Still, Müller currently has a “more realistic chance for the squad” than keeper Manuel Neuer, per Nagelsmann — which points to another go for Sven Ulreich between the sticks.

As for everyone else? Rotation plans are in focus, as a few starters from the Freiburg demolition got the chance for a little R&R. Take a look at who’s up in their place:

Ryan Gravenberch, Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala, Josip Stanišić, Benjamin Pavard, Marcel Sabitzer ... and is that 16-year-old Paul Wanner? Not pictured but assuredly also a candidate to start: 17-year-old Mathys Tel.

The youngsters especially haven’t gotten the healthiest run of minutes so far this season, but injuries and a crammed schedule are bringing everything to a head. The return test against Augsburg — who have already beaten Bayern in the league this season — should be a good time for these players to get a run out.

In the meantime, no new injury news is good news.

Interested in more Bayern Munich content? Check out our detailed Augsburg preview along with analysis of the win over SC Freiburg and a major question about Robert Lewandowski in the latest episode of our podcast. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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