Bayern Munich Coach: Alphonso Davies Will Train With First Team Immediately
Niko Kovac has revealed that new Canadian signing Alphonso Davies will start training with the Bayern Munich first team after the next international break in November, despite being ineligible to play until January.
Bayern paid Vancouver Whitecaps €10m for Davies in July, with the fee potentially rising to €18.8m - a record for an outgoing MLS player. The agreement was that Davies would join Bayern after the culmination of the MLS regular season.
At the age of 17, many thought that Davies would need time in Bayern's youth and reserve sides before graduating to the first team, but Kovac hinted on Monday that he has bigger plans for his new signing.
"[He will] train with the first team. One thing is certain when you spend that much money on a player then you don’t park him at the reserves," said Kovac, quoted by journalist Manuel Veth.
On Sunday, Davies signed off in style with two goals and a standing ovation in his final match for the Whitecaps, a 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers. Davies will join up with the Canada squad for their Concacaf Nations League match against St. Kitts and Nevis on November 18 before flying to Germany to train with his new team for the first time.
Davies scored eight goals and provided 11 assists during his final MLS season. In total he made 81 MLS appearances for the Whitecaps.
In 2017, he became the first player born in the 21st century to score in a major international tournament after scoring in the Concacaf Gold Cup.
