Contrary to *Bild*'saccount, the injury did not happen on the very last shot of an extra session after training; it occurred "in the middle of a practice match," Nagelsmann confirmed. The incident took place "during a relatively simple shot." The 18-year-old right winger from FC Bayern "knew straight away that it was serious. He paused for a moment, then the tears flowed."
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Getty ImagesFalko Blöding
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"Unfortunately, that's when the tears started flowing," Julian Nagelsmann explains how Karl's injury occurred
According to Nagelsmann, Karl will be "out for between four and six weeks, perhaps a little longer". That means he could also miss Bayern Munich's first training session on 20 July, the day after the World Cup final.
The timing is especially unfortunate, as Bayern midfielder Serge Gnabry suffered a nearly identical injury during a training session in mid-April. The 30-year-old tore his adductor muscle, ending his season early and ruling him out of the World Cup.
Gnabry, too, was not hurt in a tackle; he tore his adductor while taking a shot on goal, as Bayern manager Vincent Kompany explained at the time: "It was very unfortunate. It happened during a penalty shoot-out. It was really very, very unfortunate and took us all by surprise."
The German squad for the 2026 World Cup
Position Player Club Shirt number Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann TSG Hoffenheim 12 Goal Manuel Neuer FC Bayern Munich 1 Goalkeeper Alexander Nübel VfB Stuttgart 21 Defence Waldemar Anton Borussia Dortmund 3 Defender Nathaniel Brown Eintracht Frankfurt 18 Defender Pascal Groß Brighton & Hove Albion 13 Defence Joshua Kimmich FC Bayern Munich 6 Defence Felix Nmecha Borussia Dortmund 23 Defender Aleksandar Pavlovic, FC Bayern Munich. FC Bayern Munich 5 Defence David Raum, RB Leipzig RB Leipzig 22 Defence Antonio Rüdiger Real Madrid 2 Defence Nico Schlotterbeck Borussia Dortmund 15 Defender Defensive midfielder Angelo Stiller VfB Stuttgart 16 Defence Jonathan Tah FC Bayern Munich 4 Defender Malick Thiaw Newcastle United 24 Attack Nadiem Amiri, Mainz 05, offensive. Mainz 05 20 Attack Maximilian Beier Borussia Dortmund 14 Attack Leon Goretzka FC Bayern Munich 8 Attack Kai Havertz Arsenal 7 Attack Assan Ouedraogo RB Leipzig 25 Attack Jamie Leweling VfB Stuttgart 9 Attack Jamal Musiala FC Bayern Munich 10 Attack Leroy Sané Galatasaray Istanbul 19 Forward Deniz Undav VfB Stuttgart 26 Attack Florian Wirtz Liverpool FC 17 Attack Nick Woltemade Newcastle United 11
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