Manuel Neuer backs Sven Ulreich to continue as backup and stand-in keeper at Bayern Munich

While Manuel Neuer has finally returned to action after his lengthy injury layover and Bayern Munich signed Daniel Peretz during the summer transfer window, the club is seriously considering giving a new contract to Sven Ulreich. The 35-year old has stood firm as Neuer’s replacement for the beginning phases of this season, bar Bayern’s 4-0 win over SC SC Preußen Münster in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, when Peretz featured. Last season, it was Yann Sommer that stood in for Neuer after Bayern made the move to sign him from Borussia Mönchengladbach during the January transfer window.

Ulreich’s current contract at Bayern runs through June 2024, but the club has signaled that they would be ready to offer an extension. It has also been reported that Ulreich can see himself retiring from his playing career at Bayern, whether that means he would get just one more contract extension, or perhaps more after the next one. Typically, Bayern will only offer one-year extensions for players of Ulreich’s age.

Either way, Neuer is very much on board with Ulreich sticking around to continue to be his backup, and standing in when he is needed. He is confident in Ulreich’s quality and knows that the club can count on him to do a job when needed, whether short term or long term. “We don’t know what will happen in the future. If I’m out, Ulle will immediately be there. I’m a big Ulle fan. He has always done his job extremely well. We are happy that we have him in the team as a person and as a goalkeeper with his quality,” Neuer explained (via @iMiaSanMia).

This makes it unclear what Peretz’s future will hold, but it is clear that Bayern is fully intent on keeping Ulreich around. This can save them money in the long run assuming Neuer will be fully fit for most of the upcoming seasons.