Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl has confirmed that head coach Vincent Kompany will require weeks — not days — to recover after collapsing at the club's training ground on Friday. Eberl described the 40-year-old as needing to be "protected from himself," and said examinations at the hospital where Kompany remains in a stable condition are ongoing.

Kompany had been battling a virus in the days leading up to the collapse, and was absent from Bayern's pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of their UEFA Champions League fixture against Arsenal. Despite his illness, he appeared on the touchline for Wednesday's match, a decision Eberl acknowledged may have come too soon.

"The fact is, we protect our coach wherever we can," said Eberl. "Vinnie's a hard worker. If you don't listen to the subtle signals your body sends, eventually it will scream out in pain. We'll continue to try, even more than before, to protect him from himself."

Eberl revealed that Bayern had weighed up whether to request a postponement of Sunday's Bundesliga match at Freiburg, but ultimately concluded that playing — and winning — would be the best thing for Kompany's morale.

"We need to firstly figure out what it is and then we'll discuss calmly what the recovery time is to be," Eberl added. "We won't be talking about days, but weeks. We need to all be clear on that."

Danks steps up in Kompany's absence

Kompany's assistant Aaron Danks has already visited him in hospital, but made clear the two kept football entirely off the table. "I explained to him that we would be having no football conversations," said Danks. "It was just checking in on his health and making sure he's OK. All the football operations are in our hands and we'll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward."

A remarkable managerial rise

Kompany spent 11 years at Manchester City as a defender, lifting four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and four League Cups before transitioning into management. He guided Burnley to the 2022-23 Championship title, though was unable to keep them in the Premier League the following season. He joined Bayern in May 2024 and has since led them to back-to-back Bundesliga titles, cementing his status as one of Europe's most exciting young managers.