New signing Luca Toni will be unable to train for the next ten days, but a knee injury suffered by the World Cup winner has at least turned out to be less serious than initially feared. The towering Italian has sustained a strained ligament in the area just below his right knee, and will be sidelined for Bayern's League Cup opener against Werder Bremen in Düsseldorf on Saturday.
Bayern chief medical officer Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt made the diagnosis on Monday after an MRI scan and ultrasound examination in Munich. Toni picked up the injury on Sunday after colliding with Savas Jesilelma in the Bavarians' friendly match away to FC Albstadt, and was replaced by Zé Roberto for the remaining sixty minutes.
Fit for start of season
Toni has been spared a longer lay-off as the knee itself remains undamaged. The striker will be supervised through an individual rehab programme over the next ten days, before Müller-Wohlfahrt decides whether he is once again fit enough for the full squad training schedule. The player is not rated doubtful for the first competitive match of the new campaign when Bayern travel to face Wacker Burghausen in a DFB German Cup first round tie on 6 August.
Toni's injury means the development of the club's new first choice strike pairing, featuring the Italian alongside Germany international Miroslav Klose, will have to be put on hold for the pre-season period at least. Bayern now approach the League Cup with a minor problem to solve in attack, as former Bremen star Klose is currently the only fit striker at the club.
Germany internationals Lukas Podolski (knee) and Jan Schlaudraff (slipped disc) are both still recovering from surgery, while Roque Santa Cruz, the fifth forward in the Bayern squad, is on holiday after appearing for Paraguay at the Copa America.
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