BERLIN – Bayern Munich fullback Noussair Mazraoui looks set to miss several weeks after a medical check revealed the Morocco international was suffering from a heart issue.

On Friday, Bayern tweeted that the 25-year-old underwent a medical check which showed an inflammation of the pericardium, a thin sac surrounding the heart, and would miss the club’s winter training programme in Qatar.

Mazraoui tested positive for Covid-19 during the Qatar World Cup, forcing him to miss Morocco’s quarter-final with Portugal, before returning for their semi-final with France.

The news comes at a bad time for Bayern, who have several players under long-term injury clouds.

Defender Lucas Hernandez tore his ACL at the World Cup and will miss the rest of the season, as will captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who broke his leg during a skiing holiday on his return from Qatar. But they have signed 32-year-old Dutch international Daley Blind on a free transfer.

Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn admitted that replacing Neuer during the winter break is extremely difficult, “especially since not many clubs want to give up their No. 1 goalkeeper”.

While Kahn said he hoped to see a fully fit Neuer back on the pitch, he acknowledged “football is a short-term business, we have to think about the here and now”.

While Bayern did not provide a time-frame for Mazraoui’s return, German tabloid Bild reported the condition would likely see him miss between four and six weeks.

Teammate Alphonso Davies missed around four months in the 2021-22 season due to an inflammation of a heart muscle after contracting Covid-19.

Bayern are four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table and resume their campaign away at RB Leipzig on Jan 20. AFP