Bayern Munich Says Kompany Remains Hospitalized, Eberl Offers No Return Date

Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl said Saturday that Vincent Kompany remains hospitalized in stable condition, with examinations continuing to identify the nature of the 40-year-old's illness. Eberl said no recovery timeframe has been set.

"Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We're not starting to put together any timeframes," Eberl said, adding that the absence will be measured in weeks rather than days.

Kompany collapsed on the training pitch Friday, and the club postponed its second-team match that day. He had returned to the dugout for Wednesday's home match against Arsenal, though he skipped the pre-match news conference because of the virus. Afterward, Kompany said he had ignored warning signs: "I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course, I didn't listen to my body, and then at some point, my body just said, 'Enough is enough!'"

Assistant Aaron Danks led Saturday's news conference in Kompany's place. Danks said he spoke with the former Manchester City and Belgium captain on Friday, wishing him well without discussing football. "All the football operations are in our hands, and we'll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward," Danks said.

Danks will take charge of Sunday's Bundesliga match at Freiburg. Eberl said the club did not seek a postponement, adding that a strong performance would help Kompany's recovery: "That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover." Danks confirmed that Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, on bereavement leave since Tuesday, will also miss the Freiburg match.

Bayern lead the Bundesliga table by one point over Freiburg heading into Sunday's game. Their next Champions League fixture is November 3 in Madrid against Atletico.

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