Neuer's revelation catches his heir apparent by surprise

Jonas Urbig has admitted he was completely unaware that Manuel Neuer had signalled his intention to retire at the end of the 2026-27 season, learning of his Bayern Munich team-mate's comments only when reporters raised them during the club's pre-season camp.

Neuer, who retired from international duty for a second time this summer after returning to the Germany setup for the World Cup, recently said that "it certainly looks like I'm going to retire" at the end of the upcoming campaign.

Urbig, 22, is viewed as Bayern's future first-choice goalkeeper, having joined from Koln in January 2025. But despite his position as Neuer's natural successor, the news of the veteran's retirement timeline came as a shock to him.

"I actually didn't know he said that. I'm hearing it for the first time," said Urbig. "Generally speaking, the exchange I have with Manu is good, with Sven [Ulreich] and with the entire goalkeeping team.

"That's a different topic and it concerns Manu. We're just happy we have such a togetherness within our goalkeeping team."

Urbig staking his claim for the number one shirt

Last season, Urbig made 20 appearances across all competitions, keeping six clean sheets and making 56 saves as he began his integration into the Bayern first-team picture.

Neuer, meanwhile, played 42 times for Bayern last term, including at the Club World Cup, underlining how heavily Vincent Kompany's side continued to lean on their long-serving captain between the posts.

With Neuer's departure now seemingly mapped out for the summer of 2027, Urbig has one final season to learn from one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time before perhaps inheriting the gloves on a full-time basis.

The road to the Bundesliga opener

Bayern face Aston Villa and RB Leipzig in their final pre-season fixtures before turning their attention to competitive action. They will meet Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on August 22, before Kompany's men begin their Bundesliga title defence against Stuttgart six days later.