Croatia and Bayern striker Ivica Olic has undergone a successful operation on his injured left knee. The surgical procedure, to repair serious cartilage and meniscus damage, was performed on Tuesday by renowned specialist Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colorado. Olic will remain in the USA for another week, and will also be obliged to walk on crutches for several more weeks after that. Bayern chief medical officer Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt hopes the player, who sustained the original injury while representing his country in a friendly, will be match-fit again in around six months. In that case, the 31-year-old could pull on an FCB shirt again before the end of the current season.
Five injured stars on the mend
Back at the Säbener Strasse, and with most of the squad using their second consecutive day off for regeneration and relaxation, five Bayern stars still reported to the training facility to continue working towards comebacks. Supervised by assistant coaches Andries Jonker and Hermann Gerland, and sports rehab specialist Thomas Wilhelmi, Franck Ribéry, Breno, Diego Contento, David Alaba and club captain Mark van Bommel performed a mixture of physical and tactical exercises tailored to each player’s individual recovery programme.
Elsewhere, former FCB youth and senior pro Owen Hargreaves continues to struggle with long-term injury. The Manchester United midfielder is out of action for the next five weeks with a hamstring problem. After more than two years on the sidelines, Hargreaves returned to the United starting line-up at the weekend, but limped off injured with just six minutes played, and will miss at least five English Premier League fixtures. The 29-year-old has been battling chronic knee problems since September 2008 and has undergone numerous rounds of surgery.
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