Who will line up for Bayern Munich at left-back with Alphonso Davies and Lucas Hernandez injured?
With Alphonso Davies and Lucas Hernandez set to miss the start of the new season through injury, who will Julian Nagelsmann play at left-back in his first competitive match as Bayern Munich head coach? bundesliga.com runs the rule over his options...
Option I - Omar Richards
As Bayern's only other out-and-out left-back in the senior squad, Omar Richards has to be at the front of the queue.
The Englishman has accumulated over 80 appearances in English football in his preferred role, as well as a further 19 as a wide attacker.
Whether Nagelsmann remains faithful to the back four that has served Bayern so well down the years or draws on a three-man defence flanked by wing-backs, in the style of his Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig teams, Richards is the perfect fit.
"Omar is a technically gifted player on the left side of defence," Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said following the England U21 international's summer 2021 move from Reading. "He finds good solutions going forward, he's very lively and we trust him to play a good role in our team."
Richards' numbers for tackles won and pass completion alone - both 80 percent across the 2020/21 campaign - suggest Bayern's faith in the 5'7" defender is not misplaced.
Option II - Josip Stanisic
Salihamidzic is also a fan of Bayern Campus product Josip Stanisic, who has been handed his first pro contract ahead of the new season.
The defensive all-rounder has played for Bayern at every level from the U17s right through to the seniors, debuting in the Bundesliga on Matchday 28 of the 2020/21 campaign.
Despite largely being used as a right-back for the Bayern reserves in Germany's third tier and at centre-half for the U19s, the 21-year-old made his top-flight bow on the left-hand side of Hansi Flick's back four.
Breaking double digits for challenges won and finding a man with 91 percent of his attempted passes, the bi-pedal German native with Croatian roots did not disappoint.
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Nagelsmann, one of the most tactically flexible coaches in the modern game, needn't have any concerns about throwing one of Bayern's most versatile young players straight in at the deep-end.
Option III - Bouna Sarr
Bouna Sarr is another pliable member of Bayern's defensive ranks.
The Frenchman had played on both flanks for Metz and Marseille when was signed to provide invaluable cover in the right-back area occupied by 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard at Bayern.
Although he only made 15 appearances in all competitions across the 2020/21 campaign, a 90-minute outing at left-back in a 2-1 win in Cologne was illustrative of a player quite happy to go out of his element for the wider cause.
Rumour has it, Nagelsmann has already started experimenting with the 29-year-old in pre-season training.
"I won't turn everything on its head, but there will be a certain amount of flexibility," Nagelsmann teased at his official unveiling as Bayern coach. I like my football to be emotional and captivating, offensive and flexible."
Option IV - Remy Vita
Remy Vita fits the mould but - unlike Unlike Messrs Stanisic and Sarr - is a dyed-in-the-wool left-back.
The 20-year-old hit the ground running after swapping Ligue II's Troyes for the Bayern reserves last October, scoring two goals across his first three 3. Liga appearances.
Twenty-two outings for the second string later, he's kicking about with the pros in pre-season training.
As Bayern II's first-choice left-back, it stands to reason the 5'7" Frenchman with shades of Leipzig's Angelino will get a first taste of senior competitive fare in Bayern colours sooner rather than later.
Injuries to Davies and Hernandez may well hasten the shift.
Chris Mayer-Lodge
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