Months on the sidelines after the DFB shock? It seems Lennart Karl will be out for that long due to injury

Karl sustained the injury during the German national team's final training session ahead of Saturday's World Cup warm-up match against the USA and has already left the DFB squad. Assan Ouedraogo of RB Leipzig has been called up as his replacement. 

As the teenager bid an emotional farewell, FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer offered words of encouragement. "I sent him a WhatsApp message telling him to stay focused on his future, even though the disappointment is huge right now. He still has a bright future ahead of him. Lennart is receiving the best medical care here, and in his team he also has an example of how quickly things can turn round: Aleks Pavlovic was ruled out two years ago just before the European Championship – and today he's a regular in the national team," he told the tabloid. 

The 71-year-old added: "I'm naturally very sorry for Lennart, who has made fantastic progress. For such a young player, going to the World Cup is the greatest thing. We all wanted to see him there, because his journey—from the Bayern academy to the World Cup in one season—shows what's possible at FC Bayern."

According to kicker, Karl's latest muscle injury has alarmed Bayern. It is far from the first such setback to hit the club's young talent.

David Santos Daiber has been sidelined since mid-March, and several other youngsters—Guido Della Rovere, Maycon Cardozo and Vincent Manuba—are also dealing with thigh problems. Karl himself missed several matches toward the end of the season because of a separate muscle injury. With so many cases clustering together, club officials now believe the string of injuries is more than coincidence. An internal review has therefore been launched to tackle the issue in the youth setup.