The Daily Mail reported that people inside Bayern had raised concerns about the Belgian’s working habits in the weeks before Friday’s incident. BILD’s account said insiders were worried about his sleep, diet and tendency to take on too much work, although those claims have not been established as the cause of his collapse.
Bayern Munich confirmed that Kompany, 40, required medical attention after collapsing while watching a training session involving the club’s reserve side. He is undergoing examinations in hospital, and his coaching staff have taken charge of training and match duties in the meantime.
Sporting executive Max Eberl said the club would not rush the manager’s return.
“The good news is: He's stable. I spoke with him last night, as well as with his wife.
“That was no pleasant moment for any of us; he collapsed on the pitch yesterday and will have to stay in the hospital for a few more days until everything has been checked and verified.
“This once again shows that health is the most important thing in life—not football.
“Therefore, the best wishes for a speedy recovery from all of us go out to him; we at FC Bayern stand together.
“The most important thing is that the cause is found and that he gets fit again. That he only comes back once he's fit.
“Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We're not starting to build any timeframes.
“We need to figure out what it is, and then we'll discuss what recovery time means.
“We won't be talking about days, but weeks. We all understand that. And we have such a fantastic coaching staff, with Vinnie at its head.
“But the success is based on an outstanding team behind the scenes. There's absolutely no thought of changing anything.
“All the guys who are here are outstanding – and therefore we can all approach the next few weeks in the spirit of Vinnie, which everyone has within them.”
Kompany had spoken after Bayern’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal about continuing to work while dealing with a virus.
“As a coach, you always want to do everything. I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course, I didn't listen to my body, and then at some point, my body just said: 'That's enough!'”
Assistant coach Aaron Danks is expected to lead the team during Kompany’s absence. He acknowledged that persuading the manager to rest was difficult, but stressed that recovery had to come first.
“It's really not easy to get Vincent to rest,” Danks said. “That's a challenge – you know him as a person! He's a true leader and works hard. But he has a virus, and it's important that he rests.”
Bayern have not announced a return date. Eberl said the club would wait for the medical assessments before discussing a recovery timeframe.