Hoeness calls for patience in Bayern´s goalkeeper conundrum

Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeness has urged patience with the club’s long-term goalkeeping situation.

Manuel Neuer’s leg break forced the Bundesliga leaders to be active in the January market, signing Yann Sommer from Borussia Monchengladbach on a two-and-a-half-year deal for a reported €8million.

While that deal solves the goalkeeping conundrum for the remainder of the campaign, it leaves questions for next season and beyond given the ages of both goalkeepers.

Neuer, 36, and Sommer, 34, are both experienced enough to want regular first-team action and the situation is complicated further by Alexander Nubel, who will return from a loan spell with Monaco, while Sven Ulreich is also on the books.

The quartet will give Julian Nagelsmann a selection headache next term but Hoeness believes it is a problem that can be solved further down the line.

“I think it’s strange that the problems of June are discussed in January,” he told Sport1.

“It was necessary to find the best solution for the next six months. Yann Sommer is the optimal solution at the moment.

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“Everything else with Nubel and Ulreich will be seen in June when we know more about Manuel’s condition.

“Bayern are happy to have a goalkeeper in Yann Sommer who is now solving our problems. I would urge patience.”

While there have been questions on whether Neuer could have to pay a penalty due to his injury, which was caused by a skiing accident, Hoeness rebuffed those suggestions with a blunt response.

“Manuel knows he made a mistake. Anything can happen in life. It’s an accident. We shouldn’t forget what he did for Bayern,” he added.

“Bayern’s success is also due to the fact that such issues are solved very humanely and socially. A million or two doesn’t matter. People come before money.”