Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha is set to be sidelined for a number of weeks after suffering a torn muscle on international duty.
The 29-year-old sustained the injury to his right adductor while training with the Portugal national team during the November international break.
He subsequently underwent assessments with Bayern’s medical team and the club say they expect him to be absent for “the coming weeks”.
Palhinha withdrew from the Portugal squad last week due to injury and returned to Bayern, missing his country’s Nations League fixtures against Poland and Croatia. Portugal defeated Poland 5-1 and drew 1-1 against Croatia to finish top of their Nations League group and qualify for the quarter-final stage.
Palhinha’s injury comes ahead of a busy run of fixtures for Bayern. Vincent Kompany’s side face Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday, before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on November 26. They then play Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal round of 16.
Bayern have been without fellow defensive midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic since October due to a broken collarbone. He is expected to return before the end of 2024.
Palhinha joined Bayern Munich from Fulham in the summer in an initial €51million (£43.1m, $54.9m) deal. He has made 13 appearances in all competitions, with Bayern sitting top of the Bundesliga.
(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
