Bayern Munich: Danks takes charge while Kompany recovers

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany will remain in the hospital for an extended period. The club announced this on Saturday, one day after the 40-year-old collapsed on the training pitch. He is currently receiving treatment for a virus.

Max Eberl, the club's director of sport, described Kompany's condition as stable at a news conference. Eberl stated that examinations are continuing to determine the specific nature of the illness. The club has not set a recovery timeframe. Eberl said, "Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We're not starting to put together any timeframes." He added that the absence will be measured in weeks rather than days.

Aaron Danks, the English assistant coach, will take charge for Sunday's Bundesliga match at Freiburg. Danks led Saturday's press conference in Kompany's place. He said he spoke briefly with Kompany on Friday to wish him well. Danks noted, "I explained to him that we wouldn't be having no football conversations. It was just checking in on his health and making sure he's OK." He added that the coaching staff would work together to keep the club moving forward.

The club postponed Bayern's second team match on Friday following the collapse. Eberl said the team did not seek a postponement for the Bundesliga fixture. He believed a strong performance would help Kompany recover. Eberl said, "That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover."

Danks confirmed that Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will also miss the game. Kimmich has been on bereavement leave since Tuesday.

Kompany returned to the dugout for Wednesday's home match against Arsenal. He missed the pre-match news conference due to the virus. He later said he ignored early warning signs. Kompany stated, "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!'"

Bayern Munich enters Sunday's game as the defending champions. They lead the Bundesliga table by one point over Freiburg. The team plays its next Champions League fixture in Madrid against Atletico on November 3.