MUNICH — Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann says it's "looking good" that Canadian star Alphonso Davies will be back for next month's Champions League quarterfinals.
Bayern hammered visiting Red Bull Salzburg 7-1 Tuesday to advance to the final eight after winning the round-of-16 tie 8-2 on aggregate.
Davies has been sidelined since early January due to symptoms of a mild heart condition following a bout of COVID.
"I'm no doctor, especially no cardiologist, but I've been told that certainly he's getting better," Nagelsmann said through an interpreter after Tuesday's match. "We're doing weekly control checks with him. We're just hoping he will be back. Of course, he was gone for quite a while and we have to keep an eye on him.
"I have good expectations that he'll be back for the quarterfinals."
The Champions League quarterfinal first leg is scheduled for April 5-6 with the second leg April 12-13. The draw is scheduled for March 18.
The illness has meant Davies has not played for Canada since a pair of World Cup qualifying wins in November in Edmonton. Despite Bayern's optimism, the timeline is tight for the 21-year-old from Edmonton to be ready for the Canadian men's remaining three games in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying later this month.
Canada, which tops the eight-team final round-robin in the region at 7-0-4, is on the verge of qualifying for Qatar 2022.
John Herdman's team plays at Costa Rica on March 24 before hosting Jamaica on March 27 in Toronto, finishing off March 30 in Panama.
Bayern said Jan. 5 that Davies had joined a lengthy list of players who had tested positive for COVID, adding the speedy fullback was well and self-isolating at home.
Davies was back training a week later, but his return was put on hold with Bayern reporting Jan. 14 that tests showed the Canadian was suffering from signs of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. Myocarditis is a mild, temporary condition in the vast majority of cases, according to experts.
Davies' myocarditis was detected in the follow-up examination that all players who have had COVID undergo.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2022
The Canadian Press
