A 21-year-old from Edmonton has been ruled out of Canada’s three World Cup qualifying matches
Alphonso Davies’ return from a COVID-19 bout has been suspended by Bayern Munich, saying the Canadian star is showing signs of heart muscle inflammation.
Canada Soccer announced that the 21-year-old from Edmonton will not play in Canada’s three World Cup qualifying matches in the FIFA international window that spans January and February.
Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann told a pre-match news conference on Friday that the problem was detected during the follow-up examination that all players with COVID-19 undergo.
“He will not train until further notice. He will also not be available in the coming weeks,” Nagelsmann said in German.
“The ultrasound shows that this myocarditis is not so dramatic, but it is a sign of myocarditis. However, it needs to heal and it will certainly take time,” he added.
According to experts, myocarditis is a benign and temporary condition in the vast majority of cases.
Asked whether the myocarditis was due to COVID, Nagelsmann said it was difficult to say.
“There are different reasons, including viral load or the flu, for example, that can cause heart problems,” he explained through an interpreter.
“It happened before the coronavirus in other players. Now the probability is higher if you combine the coronavirus and top athletics, it could cause other problems. But that is not relevant for us at the moment. It has no importance for the treatment. It does not matter if Alphonso Davies got it because of the flu or the Omicron-Delta or whatever. It is not really the deciding factor.
“The situation is absolutely terrible, terrible. What can I say? It’s a very bad situation for us.”
Bayern said last week that Davies had tested positive and was feeling well while isolating at home. He was one of six Bayern players who returned to training on Wednesday after COVID-19 episodes.
Nagelsmann said Davies would now stop training until further notice to give his body time to recover. Bayern face Cologne on Saturday.
Davies won 35 caps for Canada, scoring 10 goals and 15 assists.
Considered one of the best left backs in the world due to his speed and attacking skills, he plays in a more attacking position for Canada.
Canada is scheduled to play World Cup qualifying matches in Honduras (January 27), at home against the United States in Hamilton (January 30) and in El Salvador (February 2).
The Canadian team, which is trying to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time in its history, currently leads the final round of CONCACAF qualifying with a 4-0-4 record. They have six games remaining.
In March, the top three teams from the eight-team round-robin will represent North America, Central America and the Caribbean at Qatar 2022. The fourth-place team will face an Oceania country in an intercontinental play-off to see who will join them.
A weakened Bayern lost 2-1 to Borussia Mönchengladbach on January 7 after the winter break but remains top of the German standings at 14-3-1.
Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Omar Richards, Leroy Sane and Tanguy Nianzou will all return to the weekend squad following their COVID infections.
“None of them are 100 percent fit. Some of them have had symptoms. They are back in the team, but none of them, apart from Manu, are ready to start or play for a long time,” Nagelsmann said.
Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman will both miss the game against Cologne. Goretzka is recovering from a knee problem while Coman was suffering from a muscle injury before COVID.
Bayern will also have to do without the services of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Bouna Sarr (both present at the Africa Cup of Nations), Lucas Hernandez (COVID) and Josip Stanisic (convalescing).
-The Associated Press
