England captain Harry Kane is racing against time to recover from an ankle injury sustained during international duty ahead of Bayern Munich’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old striker missed a friendly match against Japan at Wembley, following an injury sustained in training. He was already sidelined during the first half of the camp, missing the 1-1 draw against Uruguay.
Bayern’s manager, Vincent Kompany, has confirmed that Kane will miss Saturday’s Bundesliga game against Freiburg, but hopes he can make the trip to Spain.
Kompany stated at a press conference: “Harry trained well up until Sunday, but he felt some discomfort in his ankle while with the national team. This will affect tomorrow’s match—he won’t be available.”
He added, “However, I’m optimistic about Tuesday. While it’s unfortunate that he can’t play against Freiburg, it’s not looking likely at this moment.”
Kane, with 78 international goals, is crucial to both Thomas Tuchel’s plans and England’s success. The team’s struggles in their last two matches underscore the need to keep him healthy and performing well ahead of this summer’s World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This season, he has an impressive tally of 53 goals for club and country across 45 appearances. The German champions currently hold a nine-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund and will be hopeful for his swift recovery.
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Bayern is set to face Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, with the return leg scheduled in Munich eight days later.