Ito fractures metatarsal again | OneFootball

Hiroki Ito joins lengthy Bayern Munich injury list after breaking metatarsal again

Hiroki Ito has fractured the metatarsal in his right foot again and will be out of action for Bayern Munich for some time once more.

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Ito, 25, went down holding his foot in the 89th minute of Bayern’s 3-2 win at home to St. Pauli on Matchday 27, having come on just 30 minutes earlier.

The club have now confirmed that it is a recurrence of the same injury that prevented the Japanese defender from making his debut for the Bavarians until February.

“He had just fought his way back after a months-long rehabilitation and is now out again for a long time. You can only imagine what’s going through his head,” said board member for sport Max Eberl.

Ito joined Bayern from VfB Stuttgart last summer but first broke his metatarsal in a pre-season friendly. The left-footer, who can play at full-back or in central defence, has therefore been restricted to only eight competitive appearances.

He is also the latest in a growing list of defensive injuries impacting Vincent Kompany’s team. Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano are both set for long lay-offs after returning from the international break with injuries. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also suffered a recent setback in his return from a calf issue.

“After the injuries to Alphonso and Dayot, we’ve now lost a third defender in a short space of time. We will now pool our forces even more to continue pursuing our goals,” Eberl added.

Bayern’s next game is a Bavarian derby away at Augsburg on Friday before they face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, with Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund sandwiched between those two legs. The Bavarians are currently six points clear of Bayer Leverkusen at the Bundesliga summit with seven games to go.

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