Bayern's Davies feared he might not play again

Defender says he had ‘doubts’ when doctors were unable to give him timeline for return after heart problem

BERLIN:

Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies feared he might not play again after doctors were unable to give him a timeline for his return when he was sidelined by a heart problem last season.

The 21-year-old was diagnosed with a minor heart condition in January following a Covid-19 infection in December, and did not play in a competitive game for Bayern until April. He also missed out on Canada's CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

"That was very scary, especially (because) the doctors are saying that they don't know how long I was supposed to be out," Davies told ESPN on Tuesday.

"I think that was the scariest part. At that time I had doubts in my head, whether I'm still going to be able to play football, but everything worked out at the end. I'm happy and I'm grateful to the doctor for taking such good care of me. I'm happy that I can be back on the pitch."

Looking ahead to the coming season, Davies said Bayern will miss striker Robert Lewandowski, who joined LaLiga side Barcelona this week, but added that the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool will help fill the void left by the Polish striker.

"(Mane) is a good player, he's a big piece to (add to) the team," Davies said.

"So we're excited to have him and we're looking forward to what he can bring to this team. An important piece left, but also an important piece arrived."

Bayern, who won the Bundesliga for a 10th straight time, kick off their league campaign on August 5 with a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt.