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Bayern Munich do not yet know when ill coach Vincent Kompany will return, though they are cautiously optimistic he will be back after the international break.
"I've had a few really good phone calls with him over the last few days. He sounds very positive and seems to be on the way to a full recovery. We haven't set a date, but the international break gives us a good opportunity to reflect on everything a little and assess when he might return," said his assistant Aaron Danks before Saturday's Bundesliga match at Mainz 05.
Asked about Kompany's return, sporting director Christoph Freund also declined to give a date but said things were moving in a very positive direction: "There's an international break coming up and I'm very, very optimistic that we'll see him again soon."
Kompany is currently absent because of irritation of the meninges. The 40-year-old left hospital last week.
Alongside Kompany, Bayern Munich will still be without the injured Luis Díaz, Serge Gnabry, Ismael Saibari and Jamal Musiala in Mainz. Danks hopes Díaz and Musiala can "return to full team training" after the two-week international break, which would be "very positive progress". He would not set "a deadline" for either player's comeback: "That's difficult."
By contrast, Bayern Munich's interim coach expects Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has been carrying a knock, to be available again against Mainz. "He completed the full training session. We just have to wait and see how his legs recover," Danks said. Things also looked "good" for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. But Danks suggested Alphonso Davies would be rested: "There are a few players we'll take out for a bit because of the heavy workload. Possibly Alphonso Davies. We have to be careful there."