Jamal Musiala marks injury comeback with assist against RB Leipzig

After 196 days of hard work and waiting, Jamal Musiala finally made his return to action for Bayern following the broken leg and ankle he suffered against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. And to top it all off, he provided an assist on his comeback in Saturday's 5-1 win away at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

“It’s so great. I know what’s behind it all when you’ve had a long injury, especially mentally. We’re all delighted,” enthused captain Manuel Neuer of Musiala’s return. “It’s great that Jamal’s back after such a long time. We’re all so happy. He just got an ovation from the fans. We hope to see good games from him,” said Serge Gnabry. “We’re so incredibly pleased Jamal’s back. We’ve seen every day how hard he’s worked, how he’s battled to get back quickly. He’s a world-class player. We’re happy he’s back now and that we can play with him again,” added Aleksandar Pavlović.

“Taking a lot of positive energy”

Having spent weeks and months working alone on a return to fitness, Musiala rejoined team training in December. The 22-year-old was then included in the matchday squad for the first time this season against Leipzig in January. “He’s taking a lot of positive energy. When you come out of that dark tunnel, even the little things are great. I recommend to guys coming off an injury to never forget that first feeling they have when they’re back,” coach Vincent Kompany had said of his attacker’s imminent return.

Late cameo and assist

That moment finally came in the 87th minute at the Red Bull Arena as Musiala replaced Gnabry. And he was immediately into the action, touching the ball into the path of Michael Olise to hit Bayern’s fifth of the evening in the 88th minute. “For Jamal and Alphonso Davies, it’s first about integration. At some point we’ll have them back at 100 percent. Both have developed physically during this layoff. They’ve worked well, and this development is important, also for the future,” Kompany added.

For Musiala, his return to competitive action is just the next important step as he looks to get back to his best again. Bayern fans should now be able to look forward to yet more moments of Musiala magic in the coming weeks.