Thomas Muller suffers calf issue during Bayern Munich's win over Bochum

Well, this news is extremely worrisome. As reported by Maximillian Koch on Twitter, Thomas Muller said he was apparently subbed off due to a mild “calf discomfort” during Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over VfL Bochum. The 33-year-old seemed to be moving just fine when he scored the opening goal in the first half, but did not come out for the second as Alphonso Davies was subbed in as a replacement.

Apparently, this was not a planned substitution, according to the player himself.

#Müller on the substitution at half-time: “I was slightly hurt in the calf, but it’s nothing serious.”

Let’s hope we can take his word for it. This isn’t the first time calf problems have troubled Muller this campaign — he had to be subbed off early in a game vs Viktoria Plzen back in the Hinrunde for the same reason. That was also considered a precautionary measure, but Muller ended up not playing again all the way until the World Cup.

If this is anything like that incident, then Bayern Munich may have a serious problem coming up against PSG in the Champions League next week. While the Parisians have their fair share of injuries — Kylian Mbappe is supposedly ruled out of the starting XI and Messi may be doubtful — losing Muller represents a massive blow to the tactical and leadership setup at Bayern that cannot be offset by any other player. While Jamal Musiala offers almost as much in terms of goals and assists, no one can replicate what Muller does in terms of positioning and dictating the play.

Let’s hope he’s alright and a day of rest will fix him up.

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