Leon Goretzka came off the bench to score for Bayern Munich on Tuesday night (Picture: Getty Images)
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany insists Leon Goretzka is ‘important for us’ after the midfielder was linked with an exit having fallen down the pecking order.
The 29-year-old has played just one minute in the Bundesliga so far this season, with plenty of competition in Bayern’s midfield thanks to the likes of Aleksandar Pavlovic, Joao Palhinha and Joshua Kimmich.
As a result Goretzka has been linked with a move away from the club, with Manchester United and West Ham both touted as interested parties.
The Germany international did come off the bench on Tuesday night in the Champions League, though, scoring in the 9-2 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb.
It was only a late cameo in the game which saw Harry Kane score four goals, but Kompany says the midfielder is still a big part of his squad.
‘He’s important for us and will continue to be,’ the Bayern boss told DAZN. ‘The team loves him.
‘I only have players who want to play and accept the competition for places. At Bayern, it’s always easy to talk about individual players. But I want to talk about the team, that’s important to me.
‘He is very important in this team. He’s doing well, but so are the others.’
Hat-trick hero Harry Kane celebrated with Goretzka after his late goal (Picture: Getty Images)
It will be a struggle for Goretzka to break into the Bayern team at the moment after a blistering start to the season under Kompany.
The Bavarian giants have won their opening three Bundesliga games, scoring 11 goals in the process, and got their Champions League campaign off to a stunning start with the 9-2 rout.
Big tests are to come for Kompany and his team, though, as they host champions Bayer Leverkusen before the end of the month and then go to Aston Villa in their next Champions League outing.
After the resounding win on Tuesday, Kompany said: ‘It is about three points. Nine goals is a bit unusual but it was a lot of fun. The energy was good, the team showed the right spirit.
‘We have played just one game and not more than that. It is now about the next game, to keep going.’
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