Bayern Munich Coach Kompany Stable in Hospital, Expected to Be Out for Weeks

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany is expected to be absent for an extended period as he receives hospital treatment for a virus, the club said on Saturday, a day after he collapsed on the training pitch.

Director of Sport Max Eberl told a news conference that Kompany remains in hospital in a "stable" condition. He said examinations were continuing to establish the nature of the 40-year-old's illness, and that no recovery timeframe had been set.

"Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We're not starting to put together any timeframes," Eberl said. He added that the club first needs to understand what the problem is before calmly discussing recovery, and made clear that the absence would be measured in weeks rather than days.

Assistant coach Aaron Danks, who is English, will take charge for Sunday's Bundesliga match at Freiburg. Danks led Saturday's news conference in Kompany's place and said he spoke briefly with the former Manchester City and Belgium captain on Friday, only to wish him well.

"I explained to him that we wouldn't be having no football conversations. It was just checking in on his health and making sure he's OK," Danks said. "All the football operations are in our hands, and we'll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward."

Bayern's second team match was postponed on Friday following the collapse. Eberl said the club did not consider seeking a postponement of the Bundesliga fixture at Freiburg. In his view, the best way to help Kompany recover would be a strong performance and, ideally, a positive result. "That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover," he said.

Danks also confirmed that Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who has been on bereavement leave since Tuesday, will miss the Freiburg game.

Kompany had returned to the dugout for Wednesday's home match against Arsenal, even though he missed the pre-match news conference because of the virus. Afterward, he said he had ignored the warning signs. "I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course, I didn't listen to my body, and then at some point, my body just said, 'Enough is enough!'"

The defending champions lead the Bundesliga table going into Sunday's game, one point ahead of Freiburg. Their next Champions League fixture is on November 3 in Madrid against Atletico.