Medication change linked to Jamal Musiala's collapses, Bayern say

Jamal Musiala collapsed for the second time in four days during Bayern Munich's pre-season friendly with Heidenheim, and head coach Vincent Kompany said a slight change in the player's medication contributed to the incidents.

Musiala had previously revealed he is being treated for a "neurological dysfunction" that causes "temporary, brief, but easily treatable" seizures, and Bayern confirmed there were signs of the condition before the World Cup and that they were aware of it before the start of last season but had not seen it affect his play on the pitch. The two recent collapses occurred in fixtures against RB Leipzig and Heidenheim in the space of four days.

Kompany said he spoke directly with Musiala and quoted the player as telling him, "no problem, you can say it." He added: "He made a slight change to his treatment, which caused some side effects. It's perfectly normal to make changes to a treatment plan." Kompany also said: "The initial shock for us was a long time ago. Therefore, we're not talking about it that much at the moment." He said the club had "received much more information since then and made decisions with the help of leading experts. Jamal has everyone's support."

Sporting director Max Eberl reiterated the club's backing and said Musiala had wanted his condition to be public. "We've known about it the entire last season. The players also knew about it. For us, it's become part of everyday life," Eberl said. "We will give him all our support, have already done so, and will continue to do so. We're doing this together."

Kompany said he wants to "get things back to how they were before" and confirmed Musiala will train "individually" for the remainder of the week as the club manage his recovery and preparations.

Following his collapse on Tuesday, Musiala posted a statement on Instagram where he said the seizures have become part of his everyday life. The club record cited in the same reporting states Musiala has scored 69 goals and provided 37 assists for Bayern Munich.

Dr Meneka Sidhu, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, explained absence seizures and their effects, saying typical absence seizures "usually last seconds and the person affected may appear to be daydreaming or looking blank." She said that in an absence seizure "a person has varying degrees of loss of awareness and can result in the person affected losing balance and being unresponsive during the seizure itself." Dr Sidhu added: "It can be very short-lasting, and the person can continue like nothing happened," and noted: "With atypical absences that last longer, people may have automatic movements like fidgeting with their hands, eyelid fluttering and lip smacking. Some people may fall." She warned that repeated episodes over more than 24 hours can be an indication of epilepsy but said seizures can be treated with medication, adding: "For anybody affected by epilepsy, it is important to try to identify triggers." She noted: "For people who play sport, triggers may include hyperventilation and dehydration. "When effectively treated, there is no reason absence seizures should stop anyone playing sport." The report also cited rugby player Tommy Freeman, who "started having absence seizures as a 14-year-old and, after later being diagnosed with epilepsy, he now manages the condition by taking tablets alongside playing for Northampton and England."

Kompany confirmed Musiala will not be available for Bayern's German Supercup opener against Borussia Dortmund, with Lennard Maloney and Serge Gnabry also ruled out, and said Musiala will train individually for the rest of the week before Bayern begin their Bundesliga title defence against Stuttgart.