With or without Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry says there’s always competition at Bayern Munich

No Jamal Musiala, no problem. Bayern Munich have shown absolutely no shortage of scoring goals this season, even without Musiala in the squad, as he has been recovering from a fibula and ankle injury he sustained at the FIFA Club World Cup vs. Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. Alphonso Davies is set to make his return to action after his own lengthy injury layover, and Musiala is not far off either. As things stand, Bayern is expecting him to make a return to full team training in January after the winter break.

For Vinceny Kompany, he’s had the luxury of not really being able to feel Musiala’s absence too much with regard to his attack. Across all competitions, Bayern have netted 74 goals, predominantly spread across Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Luis Diaz in what’s been an electric attack so far this season.

Even Serge Gnabry, whose minutes have benefitted from Musiala’s absence, has tallied four goals and five assists from a total of eighteen appearances across all competitions. With Bayern’s #10 having been out for the entire season so far, Gnabry has been able to take advantage of opportunities that he might otherwise not have gotten had Musiala been fit and available from match day one in the Bundesliga. For a player that has struggled with injuries, consistency, and streaky form over the past couple of seasons, it’s been a bit of a mini renaissance for Gnabry thus far, but his minutes will inevitably be threatened when Musiala makes his return.

In the press conference ahead of Bayern’s Champions League clash against Sporting Lisbon, Gnabry said that whether Musiala is in the squad or not, there is always competition for places. “The competition is always there, no matter who’s in the squad. Even when Jamal Musiala returns, not much will change. As long as I perform and I’m fit, I’m not thinking about that,” he stressed (via @iMiaSanMia).

Bayern will be losing Nicolas Jackson just before the winter break as he joins up with Senegal for the African Cup of Nations and it will naturally take time for Musiala to work his way back up to full match fitness, so there’s still time for Gnabry to make his presence felt in the squad. Additionally, if Gnabry continues to approve upon what’s already been a decent season for him personally, it would further the likelihood of the club wanting to offer him contract extension, as his current contract expires in the summer.