Niko Kovac Provides Early Fitness Update on Club Record Signing Lucas Hernandez
Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac has spoken about his delight in the signing of Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernandez on a five-year deal, as well as providing an update on his fitness following a knee operation.
Hernandez has not played for Atletico since the Madrid derby back in February, and during the medical in the lead up to his €80m move, it was decided that his knee ligament issue would require surgery.
As revealed by the club on their official twitter account, Kovac was bullish in his excitement at the acquisition, declaring: "We're very pleased to have signed Lucas. He's a young player who can play in multiple positions and has a great mentality."
He then revealed the status of the player following the required operation, explaining: "His operation went extremely well yesterday. He will complete his rehabilitation in Munich."
Though the transfer is not set to go through until this summer, the two teams have reached an agreement whereby the player will now stay in Germany to continue his recovery, and it is understood that, barring any relapse, he should be fit and firing come the start of the 2019/20 season.
Upon the announcement, Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, as quoted by the club's own website, exclaimed: “I’m very happy we’ve been able to sign one of the best defenders in the world, a World Cup winner, in Lucas Hernandez.
“Lucas can play both in central defence and at left-back. Moreover, Lucas will continue our great tradition of French footballers and improve our team.”
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The player himself was equally excited, admitting: "This is a really important day in my footballing career. FC Bayern Munich is one of the best clubs in Europe and the world. I’m proud to be able to fight for all possible titles with Bayern.
"I’d like to thank Atletico, the management, the coaches, my teammates and the fans for 12 wonderful years. Atletico will always remain a part of me. Now I’m looking forward to taking the next step with FC Bayern.”
