Bayern Munich's rising goalkeeping talent Jonas Urbig has admitted he was caught off-guard by the revelation that veteran captain Manuel Neuer is likely to hang up his boots at the end of the 2026-27 season.

The 22-year-old Urbig, who joined the Bavarian giants from Koln in January 2025, is widely viewed as the future first-choice goalkeeper for the club. He comes off a strong last season where he made 20 appearances, kept six clean sheets, and recorded 56 saves.

Neuer, who remained a pivotal figure for Bayern with 42 appearances last term and a return to the Germany setup for the World Cup, signaled the end of his career after retiring from international duty for a second time this summer. The veteran stated, "it certainly looks like I'm going to retire" at the end of the upcoming campaign.

Urbig revealed that he only became aware of these comments when reporters brought them up during the team's pre-season camp. "I actually didn't know he said that. I'm hearing it for the first time," Urbig told the press.

Despite the surprise, the young keeper emphasized the strong bond between the club's shot-stoppers. "Generally speaking, the exchange I have with Manu is good, with Sven [Ulreich] and with the entire goalkeeping team," Urbig added. "That's a different topic and it concerns Manu. We're just happy we have such a togetherness within our goalkeeping team."

Vincent Kompany's squad is currently preparing for their final pre-season fixtures against Aston Villa and RB Leipzig. They are scheduled to face Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on August 22, before kicking off their Bundesliga title defense against Stuttgart six days later.