Bayern Munich are set to be without a senior goalkeeper for Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg at home to Atalanta after a fourth shot-stopper went down
Vincent Kompany could hand a 16-year-old his professional debut in the Champions League after all FOUR of Bayern Munich's senior goalkeepers picked up injuries. Academy star Leonard Prescott is line to start when Bayern host Atalanta for their round-of-16 second leg on Wednesday.
Bayern boss Kompany is dealing with a crisis after veteran goalkeeper Sven Ulreich became their latest absentee. Ulreich, 37, tore a muscle in his right adductor during Saturday's 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen and will be out for 'the time being', Bayern say.
Ulreich was given a rare start after Jonas Urbig joined Manuel Neuer and teenager Leon Klanac on the sidelines. Neuer's understudy, Urbig, took a blow to the head in last Tuesday's first leg against Atalanta.
Neuer, meanwhile, has returned to training following a calf strain, but Kompany insists that he won't rush the Bayern legend back. As for Klanac, he's been ruled out since December with a thigh problem.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page
Bayern also loaned Daniel Peretz to Southampton in the January transfer window, reducing their options. But the Bundesliga champions won't have expected to face such a crisis.
Fortunately, Bayern won 6-1 in Italy and would need an historic collapse to miss out on this season's quarter-finals. Prescott is highly rated at the Allianz Arena, having represented Germany at under-17 level, despite being born in the United States.
Who'll win the Champions League? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
If selected, the 16-year-old would become the youngest goalkeeper in Champions League history and the eighth-youngest player to feature in the competition. Jannis Bartl, 19, would likely be named on the bench.
Bayern have two more games before the international break, as they'll also host Union Berlin on Saturday. Neuer has made progress in his recovery from injury, but Kompany isn't willing to take any risks ahead of the run-in.
"You have to look at the context," the Bayern manager explained. "Manuel Neuer was already fit for the [Borussia] Dortmund game. But we waited another week, even though he could have played.
"Then he was back in full training and we felt it was the right moment. We've always brought our players back a week later. The team has always managed things well when some players were out, so there's no need to put unnecessary pressure on them.
"These aren't serious, long-term injuries. It's just frustrating for the guys because they always want to be involved."