RB Leipzig Will Not Sign a Replacement for the Injured Baumgartner

RB Leipzig is heading into the new Bundesliga season without a replacement for injured Austrian national team player Christoph Baumgartner. As sporting director Marcel Schäfer said ahead of the Saxon club’s first training session, the hope is that Baumgartner will be able to play “most of the first half of the season” for RB. However, that depends on how his rehabilitation—which has gone very well so far—progresses. Baumgartner injured his right thigh during the warm-up before the international match against Tunisia (1-0), required surgery, and consequently missed the World Cup with the Austrian national team.

Baumgartner was and remains an absolutely key player

“It is, after all, a serious muscle injury. So it won’t be a matter of weeks, but rather of months. We’ll do everything we can to get Baumi back on the field as soon as possible. He has our full confidence. He already earned that with his performances last season and was an absolutely key player both on and off the field,” said Schäfer.

The 26-year-old Austrian played a decisive role last season in Leipzig’s third-place finish and their resulting qualification for the Champions League. With 17 goals and nine assists, he was RB’s top scorer.