In a very similar fashion to Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl was done in by very poor luck. The 18-year-old Bayern Munich player was also participating in a shooting drill with Germany when he tore a muscle fibre in his thigh. Prior to this injury, the Bavarian shooting star of the 2025/26 season had been sensationally nominated for the World Cup and even tipped to make the starting XI. The timing of the injury was especially cruel.
But the work is not done just because he missed the World Cup. The former Eintracht Frankfurt academy player is starting his rehab after weeks of allowing the muscle to heal. But, according to Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), it will take a lot of time to heal:
Lennart Karl is back at Säbener Straße today to begin his rehab, and worked indoors. Karl is unlikely to be fit for the start of pre-season. Bayern expect him to be out for 8 weeks in total and will not take any risks with him. His goal is to be fully fit for the first competitive match on August 22nd in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Borussia Dortmund.
Karl also took the time to sit down with FCBayern.com recently to talk about the process:
Lennart, you started your rehab at Säbener Straße this week. What was it like for you to return to the workplace?
“First of all, I was really grateful. When you get back onto the pitch, you realise just how much you’ve missed it all. It was also really cool to see the lads again: Serge [Gnabry] and David [Santos] have also resumed training. Unfortunately, I can’t go out onto the pitch with them just yet. For now, it’s just cycling and gentle jogging for me – taking it easy. Only then will I head out onto the pitch for running drills and my first ball work. Still, it was a really important step for me.”…to get straight back into action?
“There’s not a lot of time till training starts on 20 July. It’ll be a while yet before I can join the lads in training. The main thing now is not to rush things. I’m in daily contact with the doctors and fitness coaches; we’re monitoring the muscle’s response very closely.”You got injured in training just before your first World Cup with the national team – how did you process that setback mentally?
“It’s really hard to come to terms with a setback like that. The first few days were really tough for me. My family have been my biggest support, as have my girlfriend and my closest friends, who have always been there for me. I’ve also received a lot of support from FC Bayern and lots of messages from the team. What they wrote to me really cheered me up and gave me strength. Everyone made it clear to me: injuries are part of the game; what matters is how you come back. That’s what drives me.”
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