- 20 Dec 2024
Flick: Alaba needs to “take responsibility” for Bayern Munich future
Stefan Bienkowski
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
- 2 min read
Bayern Munich defender David Alaba should “take responsibility” for his future at the German club, according to his manager Hansi Flick.
The 28-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which would allow Alaba to speak to other clubs in January.
The defender’s representatives were in negotiations with the Bundesliga side about extending his time in Munich, before club president Herbert Hainer confirmed that there had been a breakdown in talks earlier in the month.
Despite the tension between the player and his employers, Alaba has remained an ever-present member of Flick’s squad with boardroom tensions and on-field performances seemingly being kept at a safe distance from one another.
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However, in what now appears to be his first comments on the matter, Flick has underlined Alaba’s importance to Bayern and urged his defender to look for a solution.
Speaking to Die Welt, Flick said: “David should take responsibility and decide for himself what is important to him. David is a very fine person and a brilliant football player. He is very popular with the team and holds them together.”
Flick’s comments come off the back of a notable contrast in remarks from the Bayern hierarchy, with the club’s sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, previously stating that he couldn’t possibly see how a deal could be done while CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has since suggested that the door was still “ajar” for Alaba.
Considered as one of Europe’s finest and most adaptable defenders, news of Alaba’s contract situation has led to the inevitable links to some of the continent’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Juventus.
However, it remains to be seen whether the defender and his representatives are simply playing hard ball with Bayern for an improved offer or have genuine ambitions of seeing Alaba take his career to another league.
