Bayern Munich said Thursday that star midfielder Joshua Kimmich would not return to action until January as he recovers from lung damage caused by Covid-19. Kimmich, who is unvaccinated, tested positive for coronavirus last month.
“I’m happy my self-isolation caused by the coronavirus has ended,” said Kimmich, expected to be one of Germany’s leading players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“I’m doing very well, but I’m not yet able to train fully due to slight infiltrations in my lungs. “I’ll therefore do some rehabilitative training and can’t wait to be fully back in action in January.”
The mid-fielder will miss Bayern’s home game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday, the away game at Stuttgart on December 14 and the final game of the year against Wolfsburg at the Allianz Arena on December 17. Kimmich sparked a vaccination debate in Ger-many last month when the 26-year-old admitted he had so far opted against being inoculated due to “personal reasons”.
The news angered some Bayern fans, as specta-tors at football matches in Germany must prove they are fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid,—APP
