Bayern Munich youngster left 'really angry and upset' by Vincent Kompany snub as Germany legend urges coach to trust youth players

Following Bayern's 3-2 victory over Augsburg, 17-year-old midfielder Karl, a promising talent from the club's youth academy, sat on the bench for the entire match. Despite a recent full debut in the DFB-Pokal and a strong performance in the Bundesliga opener, Karl was overlooked by coach Kompany in favour of veteran substitutes like Raphael Guerreiro and Sacha Boey, both of whom have struggled to make an impact. Seeing a visibly distraught Karl, Ex-Bayern midfielder Matthaus criticised the Bayern coach's of favouritism and urged him to give chance to the young talents.

Former Germany international and Bayern legend Matthaus have been a vocal critic of the club's recent approach, particularly after the match against Augsburg.

“I saw him when I went down after the game, he was really angry and upset that he wasn't substituted," Matthaus said on Sky about Karl. "Normally you can say: 'Okay, I'm 17,' but he wants to play, he's fired up.”

Matthaus expressed his bewilderment over Kompany's choices and further shared his message to the club, citing last season's Champions League exit at the hands of Inter. He added: "It didn't work against Inter, as Kompany was accused of, but he always tries with these older players, like Boey, who didn't deliver what was expected of them. If you have a campus like this, you should also use it in the professional arena."

The situation surrounding Karl is part of a bigger picture at the Allianz Arena. The club have invested heavily in its youth campus, but the bridge to the first team appears to be broken for many talented players. This past summer, Bayern lost four highly-rated youth players - Paul Wanner, Adam Aznou, Frans Kratzig and Gabriel Vidovic - who left in search of more playing time elsewhere. This exodus has put pressure on Kompany to effectively integrate the remaining young talents into the senior squad. While Kompany himself has publicly supported a patient, pressure-free approach for young players, his recent decisions have drawn criticism.

"We need to integrate players from the [academy] into our team," Matthaus said. "We don't just want to spend millions on the campus, we also need to profit from it. If you have a campus like that, you should also utilise it in the professional sphere."

Bayern's management are also under scrutiny to show that their investment in the academy is more than just a public relations exercise. How Kompany handles this delicate situation and whether he gives Karl and other youth players more minutes in the upcoming matches will be something to watch as the season progresses.

Additional reporting by Jonas Rutten.