Eberl defends exclusion of Goretzka from Bayern squad in Kiel

Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl has defended the exclusion of midfielder Leon Goretzka from the squad that travelled to the Bundesliga match at Holstein Kiel on Saturday.

"I really like him, even though he's not happy right now. I can also understand it. But that's part of football," Eberl told broadcasters Sky.

Bayern defeated promoted Kiel 6-1 and Goretzka wasn't even on the bench. Earlier this season, the midfielder was also not included in the squad for the German Cup first round at SSV Ulm.

"We clearly communicated from the start that we would have a very balanced squad. Leon knew beforehand that we had Alex Pavlovic, a player who has now become an international, and that we would now make the transfer of João Palhinha," Eberl said.

Goretzka has a contract with Bayern until 2026, but the club reportedly wanted to sell him during the summer transfer window. The player, however, wanted to stay and didn't look for a new club, according to reports.

So far this, Goretzka has only played around six minutes after he came on as a substitute in the 2-0 win against Freiburg on September 1.

TV pundit and former Bayern and Germany player Lothar Matthäus was surprised with Goretzka's absence against Kiel.

"I miss him in the squad. Everyone praised him, how he trained this week. (Coach Vincent) Kompany has also praised him. The fact that he's not in the squad surprises me, of course," he said.