Alphonso Davies is "bored" but recovering from his heart problem caused by COVID-19, according to his Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Davies has been absent for several weeks due to his heart muscles becoming inflamed after he was infected by COVID-19, causing him to miss numerous games for Bayern and Canada. The 21-year-old has not seen the field since mid-December, having contracted COVID-19 over the winter break and his condition discovered soon after.
There is still no fixed return date for Davies, as Nagelsmann says they will not rush the young left-back and that he will be given as much time as needed to make a full recovery.
What has been said?
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Bayern's Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig on Saturday evening, Nagelsmann said: "He's fine. He's bored because he can't do anything, but you have to let it heal completely.
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"A checkup is due after four weeks, then further steps will be taken. We'll see."
🗣️ @J__Nagelsmann on @AlphonsoDavies: "Phonzy is doing well, and I spoke with him last week. Of course he's been a bit bored. Once the four-week period has passed, then we will do further tests. We'll see what the medical imaging reveals then." pic.twitter.com/lVtfq9J902
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) February 3, 2022
What happened to Davies?
He has not played a match in 2022 so far, after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of Bayern's 2-1 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in early January.
After that game, Nagelsmann revealed that a follow-up check on Davies had detected signs of "mild" myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
Nagelsmann said of Davies on January 14, “He has stopped training for now, so he won't be available to us for the next few weeks.
“This myocarditis isn't too dramatic based on the ultrasound, but more simply signs of an inflammation. Nevertheless, it needs to heal and that will no doubt take some time.”
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Davies was unavailable for Canada this international window, instead taking to Twitch to watch the games with fans. Canada didn't need him, as the nation took a perfect nine points from its three matches in the window, pushing the team to the brink of World Cup qualification.
How much football will Davies miss?
It is unclear when Davies is expected to return, beyond Nagelsmann's comment that he will miss "the next few weeks."
He has not played in any of Bayern's three Bundesliga fixtures in 2022, and will not feature for the club for the foreseeable future, including its Champions League Round of 16 clashes with Red Bull Salzburg on February 16 and March 8.
There are also big Bundesliga fixtures on the horizon, set to match up with current third-place side Bayer Leverkusen on March 5, plus a game against fourth-placed Union Berlin on March 19.
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Canada returns to the field looking to mathematically secure World Cup qualification during the late March international window, with games against Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Panama on March 24, March 27, and March 30 respectively. It's entirely fathomable that Davies could miss those games, as even if he were to return to the field beforehand, it's possible that his buildup to match fitness could take time.
With Canada comfortably atop the CONCACAF table, there would be no reason to rush back its star player from a heart condition.
