Vincent Kompany’s golden touch shows no sign of fading after a Bayern Munich side stuffed with youngsters demolished Red Bull Salzburg 5-0 in a pre season rout. But while the kids shone, the future of senior star Leon Goretzka remains clouded in transfer speculation, with Barcelona reportedly interested if they can shift a player first.
The Belgian gaffer fielded a mixed XI in Rabat, blending a handful of established names with exciting academy prospects, and the blend worked a treat. Despite some early rustiness in the link up play, Bayern dominated from the off and never really looked in danger.
Salzburg had a brief five minute spell of pressure in the first half, forcing a good save from Jonas Urbig and seeing a goal bound effort cleared off the line by David Santos Daiber. But any hopes of an upset were snuffed out just before half time when Hiroki Itō’s volley took a double deflection and trickled in.
After the break, with a raft of changes, Bayern turned on the style. The star of the show was 18 year old Lennart Karl, who bagged a brace one a powerful header and teed up Felipe Chávez for another. Luis Díaz was electric on the wing, notching two assists and terrorising the Salzburg defence, before Tom Bischof tapped in a late fifth.
While the young guns dazzled, all eyes off the pitch remains on Leon Goretzka. The German midfielder had a quiet game by his standards, and rumours are swirling that Barcelona are keen but only if they can sell a major asset first to fund the move. It’s understood the Catalans need to balance the books before making any formal approach.
For Kompany, the bigger takeaway was the fearlessness of his youngsters. Cassiano Kiala showed flashes of real class, Wisdom Mike had good ideas if not always the final ball, and the midfield pairing of Aleksandar Pavlović and Bischof looked tidy, if untested against elite opposition.
Most importantly for Bayern, they came through unscathed, no new injuries ahead of the Bundesliga restart. The momentum is firmly with Kompany’s side as they head into their final friendly against Wolfsburg. The kids are more than alright, but the big question around Goretzka’s future rumbles on towards the new season.
