Alphonso Davies feared he would never play again after heart problem diagnosis

The 21-year-old Bayern Munich defender was diagnosed with a minor heart condition in January following a Covid infection in December

Alphonso Davies feared he might not play again after doctors were unable to give him a timeline for his return when he was sidelined by a heart problem last season.

The 21-year-old Bayern Munich defender was diagnosed with a minor heart condition in January following a Covid infection in December, and did not play in a competitive game for Bayern until April. He also missed out on Canada’s Concacaf World Cup qualifiers.

“That was very scary, especially (because) the doctors are saying that they don’t know how long I was supposed to be out,” Davies told ESPN on Tuesday. “I think that was the scariest part.

“At that time I had doubts in my head, whether I’m still going to be able to play football, but everything worked out at the end. I’m happy and I’m grateful to the doctor for taking such good care of me.

“I’m happy that I can be back on the pitch.”

Looking ahead to the coming season, Davies said Bayern will miss striker Robert Lewandowski, who joined Barcelona this week, but added that the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool will help fill the void left by the Polish striker.

“(Mane) is a good player, he’s a big piece to (add to) the team,” Davies said. “So we’re excited to have him and we’re looking forward to what he can bring to this team.

“An important piece left, but also an important piece arrived.”

Bayern, who won the Bundesliga for a 10th straight time, kick off their league campaign on 5 August with a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt.