Report: Kingsley Coman Injury Worse Than Feared, Won't Feature Again in 2018

Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman's ankle issue is reportedly worse than originally diagnosed, and he won't play again in 2018. 

BILD's Christian Falk reported the news on Wednesday:

Bayern's initial prognosis was he would miss weeks rather than months:

The 2018-19 season is barely a few weeks old, but the Bavarians have already been hit hard by the injury bug. Per manager Niko Kovac, the German champions have just 16 healthy players―not counting goalkeepers―but he won't use that as an excuse:

Transfermarkt lists Coman, Corentin Tolisso and Rafinha as the club's main absentees, with all three suffering some kind of ligament injury. Serge Gnabry has returned from the injury that prematurely ended his 2017-18 campaign, and he's expected to see an increase in minutes while Coman is sidelined.

The 22-year-old France international came into the season with huge expectations. Bayern's longtime wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are both well into the twilight of their careers, and many predicted Coman would enjoy a breakout year with those two frequently rested.

Injuries have so far held the former Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus man back in his career. Per the Bundesliga's official website, he had surgery to repair ankle ligament damage last year as well. 

His absence is a blow for the Bavarians, but the timing could have been a lot worse. Bayern have started the season in perfect form and have cruised to the Bundesliga title for years, winning six straight by a double-digit points margin.

They'll need Coman later in this season in order to find success in the UEFA Champions League. In the group stages, they should be able to navigate past Benfica, Ajax and AEK Athens without him.

Benfica will be their first European opponents on Wednesday at the iconic Estadio da Luz.