Champions League: Bayern Munich waiting on fitness of ‘very special’ Harry Kane
Bayern Munich are awaiting the fitness of “very special” Harry Kane to see if he can lead the charge to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The 32-year-old England captain attended training in Munich on Monday morning and then traveled to Madrid with the rest of the Bayern squad following the “minor issue” – believed to be an ankle knock – which ruled him out of England’s friendly defeat to Japan at Wembley.
Kane was also missing from Bayern’s 3-2 win against Freiburg, with manager Vincent Kompany playing his cards close to his chest regarding his role at the Bernabeu.
Kompany said the final decision on whether Kane would start would be made on Tuesday, but speaking on Monday evening he said: “Harry is part of the team and that is positive for us. We have to wait until tomorrow (Tuesday) to get the final information, then we will make our decision.”
“It was important that he trained a lot today (Monday). I don’t think he lost his rhythm.”
Kane, who has scored 10 goals in the Champions League this season, is an important part of Bayern’s quarter-final first leg plans. He is also the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 31 goals this season.
Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich pointed out the importance of Kane and said, “How many goals did he score? How many assists did he make? 40 or 50 this season?”
“This, apart from all the goals, shows how important he is to our game.
“We’re happy to have him here with us. He’s not just a poacher or a selfish goalscorer, he’s trying to score as many goals as he can for us.
“He is an absolute leader who always tries to achieve maximum success for the team. This is a very special mentality for an attacker. He is a role model.”
Kimmich added: “It’s important to have Harry on the field with us, with all his leadership qualities.”
Kompany asked a few questions about Kane’s fitness and said: “Harry Kane knows how important this match is but it is important to make a decision together with each player.
“You keep asking questions about Harry Kane, and to be honest, I like it. I don’t care, but I’m not giving you an answer.”
