Hiroki Ito’s second outing in an FC Bayern Munich shirt came to an end after just 20 minutes. The central defender had to leave the pitch at 1. FC Düren (1:1) after a tackle in the early stages. Examinations revealed a metatarsal fracture
Immediately after the 1:1 draw in the test match at 1. FC Düren, Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl was not very hopeful when he said of Hiroki Ito: “The metatarsal is probably broken, so he will be out for some time.”
The probability has now become certainty. The examination on Sunday confirmed the suspicion: the Japanese player, who Bayern bought for 23 million euros from VfB Stuttgart this summer, has suffered a metatarsal fracture in his right foot.
The club put the duration of his absence at “several weeks”. Eberl explained: “This is of course very bitter. We will give Hiroki the best possible support to get him back on the pitch as quickly as possible. “
Injury in the early stages
It was the 18th minute of the game that overshadowed a weak test for the regional league team from Munich’s point of view. Ito was injured in a tackle, remained on the ground in pain with his hands in front of his face and had to be replaced by 18-year-old Adam Aznou. With the help of the medical staff and without his right boot, he left the pitch in the 20th minute.
In central defense, there are four other experienced central defenders in the current FCB squad: Dayot Upamecano, Min-Jae Kim, Eric Dier, loan returnee Josip Stanisic and Matthijs de Ligt, who is being courted by Manchester United. Home-grown Tarek Buchmann is slowly being introduced after his thigh injury
No quick fix on the transfer market
Leverkusen international Jonathan Tah, for whom the record champions recently made a second bid, is still being touted as a potential addition to the defense. However, there will be no quick fix in response to Ito’s injury, as Eberl emphasized in Düren. “We have our general plan and we will continue to pursue it.”
Meanwhile, Munich’s preparation plan takes them to South Korea first. FCB’s tour of Asia starts on Wednesday, followed by a test against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday
