Bayern Munich Injury Update: Hiroki Ito Latest Details, Recovery Timeline

Bayern Munich have been dealt a big injury blow as they prepare for the last few games of the 2024/25 season. Vincent Kompany’s side, however were dealt a massive blow recently as Hiroki Ito has picked up yet another injury, which will now see him out for the rest of the club season. The Japanese defender has picked up another metatarsal fracture which will see him miss action for several months.

The injury suffered is expected to affect further plans for Bayern Munich. On that note, read below and get a detailed overview of how the forward faced the injury, the freshest update on the situation, the impact of the blow on the club, his possible replacements, and his return to action date.

Hiroki Ito Injury Update

Ito sustained a fracture in the metatarsal bone of his right foot for the second time in under a year, just weeks following his return from the initial injury, Bundesliga leaders reported on Sunday. Ito, who fractured his metatarsal in July after moving to Munich and only returned last month, was substituted in during the 58th minute of Saturday’s 3-2 victory against St Pauli but sustained an injury late in the match.

“He has suffered a recurrence of a fracture in his right metatarsal, a scan by the FC Bayern medical team has confirmed,” the club said in a statement.

“The news of another serious injury to Hiroki hits us all very hard. He’s only just battled back after months of rehab and will now be out for a long time again – we can barely imagine how he’s feeling,” Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said in a statement.

Impact of Hiroki Ito’s Injury on Bayern Munich’s Squad and Strategy

Ito was signed by Bayern in the summer, on the back of a very good season at Stuttgart in 2023/24. However, this season has not been good for him, with the previous metatarsal fracture having come near the beginning of the season. Since then, he has spent the whole season out.

He only came back earlier this month, and perhaps he hadn’t fully recovered match fitness, but the 180 minutes he played for Japan in this international break seem to have set him back. The biggest problem for Bayern is that they also have Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano out for long periods, at a crucial juncture of the season.

“After the injuries to Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano, we’ve now lost a third defender in a short space of time. We will now pool our forces even more to continue pursuing our goals”, Eberl said.

Also Read: FC Barcelona Injury Update: Dani Olmo Latest Details, Recovery Timeline

Possible Replacements and Tactical Adjustments

The return of Ito from his previous injury would have been pleasant for Vincent Kompany to replace both Davies and Upamecano as Ito can play both LB and CB. However, with him out as well, they are now in a spot of bother. On the left, Raphael Guerrero will now have to play back in defence, while Josip Stanasic could play on his weaker side if necessary. Konrad Laimer and Sacha Boey are expected to share the minutes on the right.

At centre back, though, Bayern are really light, with only Eric Dier and Kim Min-Jae as first-team options. Perhaps Leon Goretzka or João Palhinha can play some minutes in the position if they need to rest.