Freund: Not Worried About Bischof's Playing Time; Boey Not Training to Avoid Injury

Following Bayern Munich's 4-1 away victory over Osnabrück in the DFB-Pokal first round, Sports Director Freund was interviewed by numerous media outlets in the mixed zone. This article covers the second half of the interview.

We also saw excellent midfield performance…

Yes, very impressive. Tom (Bischof) is an extremely talented player, and he looks very comfortable in our possession-based game and overall coordination. At the same time, he's won many crucial defensive duels and is very effective at winning the ball back, which takes significant pressure off our defense and helps the team greatly. Moreover, he's also a threat going forward; today he even scored a beautiful goal with his weaker right foot. I'm very happy for him because I think he always delivers convincing performances whenever the team needs him. He will certainly get plenty of playing time this season and play important matches for us.

What's your assessment of his overall situation at the club now? You mentioned he'll get plenty of playing time, but he actually performed very well in preseason yet only came on as a substitute for a few minutes in the first two official matches, so his playing time hasn't been that extensive…

Yes, I think we'll have many matches to play this season. Currently we have three top-level defensive midfielders, or players who can operate in a double pivot. For the two starting positions, we also have several young players who can step in at any time. But I think at this position, we really need squad depth and quality talent like his. That's why I'm not at all concerned that he won't get sufficient playing time throughout this season. This is only the third match now, and today was his first start of the season. His preseason performance was excellent, and we're very pleased to have such a high-quality player.

Speaking about competition and hierarchy, Alex (Pavlović) has performed very strongly over his second or third season, and Tom is also a German international currently on a very promising upward trajectory. So he's left-footed, while our other two defensive midfielders are right-footed, which is the perfect personnel combination. I think this is an outstanding group, and they will also motivate and advance each other.

The German transfer window has now closed, but Sacha Boey remains at Bayern Munich. What's the specific situation there? Given that transfer windows in some other countries are still open, there's much speculation about his transfer and future…

Yes, the time until the transfer window closes is getting shorter, that's clear. We'll see if anything else happens. Currently, no one can give a 100% certain answer.

If he ultimately stays with the team, how will the club treat him?

Of course, he will be treated very fairly and professionally, because he has been very professional and shown an excellent attitude during this period. He performed well in preseason, showed good form, and has always trained very hard and focused, with nothing to criticize.

So will he return to team training as usual?

Yes, of course. His decision not to participate in group training was actually the result of communication and discussion with Sacha himself, because if a transfer or deal were to happen later, he didn't want to risk an unexpected injury before that. But aside from this risk-avoidance reason, there is absolutely no tension between us, and certainly no problems.

You recently announced publicly that the club has decided to include Hiroki Ito in the plans for the new season, even though the club previously stated that if a suitable offer came in, he could leave. Can you explain why there has been this change in stance? And how does the club currently plan to use him and what are your plans for him?

Hiroki Ito is a very important player, and after a long time, he has finally fully recovered his fitness. Therefore, his departure was never our strongest desire. Our previous stance was that if an exceptional, highly unusual, and very attractive offer came in, and he himself expressed that he wanted to try a new challenge, then we would sit down to evaluate and discuss the matter. But other than that, it was never a topic requiring much discussion within the club.

In Friday's match, Ismael Saibari immediately announced his comeback with an outstanding performance after coming on as a substitute, but today his involvement seemed less than his other attacking teammates. Since his injury, how much has his physical fitness and match sharpness recovered?

Yes, since his injury, he is currently gradually regaining his form. In terms of fitness and stamina, he hasn't fully recovered to 100%, but he feels very comfortable now. The whole team can see and knows what special abilities he possesses, and I think he still had some very bright moments in today's match.

Today wasn't an easy game, but he made intelligent movements from midfield again and again, which helped our attack greatly. He controlled the ball very well on the pitch, and he could easily have scored one or two goals today; he had two or three very good shooting opportunities. So he's definitely on a very good recovery trajectory.

Regarding another absent player, Musiala—how is he following the team's current matches? In your view, when would it be realistic for him to return? Is Saturday possible?

As we always say, we have to assess his injury situation every day and monitor his specific recovery progress. We won't take any risks. Besides, he is now, like other injured or absent players at the club, following every team match carefully and cheering everyone on. Today he should also be watching the match on TV, praying for and supporting his teammates.

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