Bad News For Bayern Munich as Harry Kane Sidelined For the “Time Being” With a Minor Hamstring Tear

Bayern Munich’s Saturday night clash with Borussia Dortmund was a rollercoaster of emotions. Jamal Musiala’s late heroics salvaged a crucial draw, extending their unbeaten streak to seven games. But the celebrations were dampened by a major setback—star man Harry Kane was forced off in the first half with what looked like a hamstring injury. It’s a moment that could have significant repercussions for Bayern’s season.

Following Der Klassiker, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany provided an update regarding Kane’s injury. He said, “Harry's feeling is that it may not be something too serious. But we will have to wait. He will have to do a scan and then we will know more. But obviously it will be tight for Tuesday. I don't know many players who can recover that quickly.” It was reported that Harry Kane underwent a scan to determine the severity of the injury. Thankfully, it looks like Harry Kane won’t be sidelined for a long period. In an official club statement, Bayern Munich stated, “Harry Kane picked up a minor muscle strain in his right hamstring in FC Bayern’s Bundesliga match at Borussia Dortmund yesterday. This was confirmed by a scan carried out by the FC Bayern medical unit. Bayern will therefore be without Kane, 31, for the time being.” 

While Bayern were vague about Harry Kane’s possible return to action, German publication Blid suggested that the English skipper would be sidelined for at least two weeks. They further added, “If the recovery goes well, he could be fit for the last game of the year against RB Leipzig.” While he’s only sidelined for a couple of weeks, the games he will miss are pretty huge. Kane is definitely ruled out of Bayern’s next three Bundesliga games against Bayer Leverkusen, Heidenheim and Mainz as well as their Champions League tie against Shaktar Donetsk.  

The absence of Harry Kane could have a huge impact on Bayern’s season. The Englishman has already notched up 14 goals in just 12 Bundesliga games. Besides that, Kane has also contributed five goals and an assist in the Champions League as well as an assist and a goal in the DfB Pokal. Replacing Harry Kane could prove to be a headache for Vincent Kompany. The Bavarians do have a couple of options. Kompany could opt to start club legend Thomas Muller as the No.9. Serge Gnabry and Mathys Tel also have experience of playing as a striker. So, Kompany has options to work with, but the Belgian suggested replacing Kane’s output would be a team effort in the weeks to come. He said, “Harry's goals are very hard to replace but we have said from the start that we trust our squad. You cannot replace players of his quality with another place but the boys can do it together."