Speculation surrounds Neuer after his substitution against Cologne

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer was substituted early in Bayern Munich's match against 1. FC Köln. Is there cause for concern at Bayern?

The 40-year-old goalkeeper for the German record champions was substituted by manager Vincent Kompany in the 60th minute of the match against Effzeh, making way for backup keeper Jonas Urbig.

The incident occurred after a Cologne corner, when Neuer signalled to the bench during a goal kick that he could not continue. Walking off, the FCB keeper repeatedly pointed to his left leg yet showed no visible signs of discomfort. He also offered a reassuring thumbs-up to several Cologne players.

At that point, it was impossible to judge whether the 40-year-old had suffered a serious injury, though he has been troubled by minor calf problems several times this season.

Neuer is a doubt for the cup final and the World Cup.

Any injury to Neuer would be ill-timed, especially with the World Cup on the horizon. Several outlets have recently reported that the Bayern goalkeeper is included in national team coach Julian Nagelsmann's provisional 55-man squad for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Any layoff would also threaten his participation in Saturday's DFB Cup final against VfB Stuttgart, where Bayern aim to secure the domestic double.

That said, after the final whistle in Munich, Neuer returned to the pitch, hugged his teammates and was joking around, suggesting the substitution may have been a precaution.