Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has revealed that the club knew about Jamal Musiala’s neurological condition long before the midfielder publicly disclosed it this week.
Musiala, 23, announced on Tuesday that he was living with a neurological disorder that can cause temporary but treatable seizures, after collapsing during a pre-season friendly for the second time in four days.
Kompany confirmed on Friday that Musiala will miss Saturday’s season-opening Supercup clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The Bayern coach explained that the recent seizures were linked to a change in Musiala’s treatment.
“He made a slight change to his treatment, which caused some side effects,” Kompany said. “It’s perfectly normal to make changes to a treatment plan. Now we want to get things back to how it was before.”
Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said the club had been aware of Musiala’s condition for more than a year, adding that the decision to make it public belonged to the player.
Kompany said Bayern’s staff remained calm when Musiala collapsed because they had been prepared to deal with the situation.
“I understand there are many questions. But the initial shock for us was a long time ago,” he said.
“We’ve been prepared for some time. We have procedures in place and we’re very optimistic.”
Musiala’s absence will be a blow to Bayern as they prepare for their first competitive fixture of the season against Dortmund.
The German champions will also be without Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry for the Supercup encounter.
