Literally holding on alone.

Bayern Munich announced on the 30th (Korean time) through the club's homepage, "Hiroki Ito has suffered a metatarsal fracture. After a medical examination, it was confirmed that he has re-injured his right metatarsal fracture. Ito was injured during the match against St. Pauli, which they won 3-2 yesterday. He appeared in the 58th minute but had to leave the field in the 89th minute, and he will now be unable to participate for a long time."

On the 29th, Bayern defeated St. Pauli 3-2 in the 27th round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga held at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. Min-jae Kim, returning from injury, played a full 90 minutes, contributing to the team's victory. With this, Bayern maintained its lead with 65 points, still 6 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen (59 points). It is an opportunity to reclaim the trophy they lost to Leverkusen, which had 'the first undefeated championship in the Bundesliga' last season.

However, there was a painful setback with Ito's injury. According to Germany's 'Bild', he will need about 3 months for recovery and is confirmed to be out for the season. Having already injured the same area for the third time, the rehabilitation process may extend the injury period further. After the match, Max Eberl, Director General of Bayern, personally noted, "Ito has suffered another serious injury. It is a great shock to all of us. He completed his rehabilitation after months and finally made his return, and now he is expected to be absent for a long time again," he sighed.

Additionally, Eberl stated, "I cannot imagine how Ito feels. He will receive all the support he needs from us. He is a fighter, and we expect him to return to the field. Keep your head up, Hiroki. Bayern is on your side," adding, "We have lost our third defender in a short period since the injuries to Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano. Now we must gather more strength to continue moving toward our goals."

Germany's 'TZ' reported, "Ito resumed running two months after injuring his metatarsal during the preseason. However, he faced a setback in early October and had to undergo another surgery, " noting that "it seems that the training intensity increased too quickly and too much. It was already known that Ito had been suffering from metatarsal fractures since before his transfer to Bayern."

Ito has completely become an injury-prone player. The Japanese national team defender left VfB Stuttgart last summer to join Bayern. The transfer fee was reported to be €30 million (approximately 47.7 billion won), including options. The contract period extends until the summer of 2028.

Ito was expected to be an excellent multi-resource player at Bayern. He can play as a left-back and center-back, and occasionally even as a defensive midfielder. Ito, standing at 188 cm, is relatively tall and has a maximum speed of 34 km/h. Above all, his ability to build up play and handle the ball using his left foot is his greatest strength.

There were high expectations in Japan that Ito could win the starting competition against Min-jae Kim. However, reality was different. He collapsed during a preseason match in July last year with a metatarsal fracture and underwent surgery. In fact, he had to undergo a second surgery in November after an issue reoccurred while preparing for his return.

Ito made his Bayern debut in a match against Celtic only in February, after an astonishing 7 months. He was gradually increasing his playing time after going back and forth between starting and being substituted. However, he sustained an injury to the same area again, which means he will be absent for an extended period. Ito seemed to recognize the seriousness of the situation, as he was seen leaving the field with his jersey over his head, covering his face with both hands.

The problem is that Bayern has already lost Davies and Upamecano. Davies, who was called up to the Canadian national team in March, injured his knee during a match against the U.S. He started the match but collapsed with an injury just 12 minutes after kickoff.

After the match, there were sightings of Davies walking alone, but after arriving in Munich for a detailed examination, it was confirmed that he had a torn ligament. The rehabilitation period is expected to last as long as 6 months. Because of this, Ito was expected to fill his absence this season, but now Ito is injured as well.

Upamecano is also unlikely to play for the remainder of the season. After playing an international match for the French national team, it was reported that he experienced serious issues with his knee joint. Germany's 'Bild' stated, "Unless a miracle happens, it is certain that Upamecano will be out for the season. Given his current condition, at least 3 months of recovery is needed," adding, "He might be out longer. Upamecano, like Davies, will need to undergo surgery. After the surgery, we will know exactly how long he will be absent."

As teammates continue to fall, Min-jae Kim's burden has grown heavier. He has not rested since the beginning of the season and has recorded the second-most playing time in the team after Joshua Kimmich. With Upamecano out due to minor injuries, Min-jae Kim has rarely been able to take a break.

It is natural that he would run into issues. Min-jae Kim has been complaining of Achilles tendon pain since October last year and recently collapsed due to injury. However, with no reliable defenders on the team, he returned after about two weeks and played the full 90 minutes against St. Pauli. He appeared noticeably fatigued but ran the field until the final whistle.

In the previous match against St. Pauli, Germany's 'TZ' awarded Min-jae Kim a score of 3. Despite allowing 2 goals, it acknowledged that he was affected by teammates of relatively lower quality. In fact, excluding Min-jae Kim, the three starting defenders, Konrad Leimer, Dyer, and Geheiro, all scored only 4.

'TZ' emphasized, "Min-jae Kim, who originally needed to rest due to Achilles tendon issues, was forced to play again due to Upamecano's injury. Just managing a tough schedule instead of resting means his performance should be evaluated even higher."

[OSEN]