Vincent Kompany shoots down suggestion 'important' star could join Manchester United

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has played down the suggestion Leon Goretzka is looking to leave the club amid links with a move to Manchester United.

The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Bundesliga club, making just two late substitute appearances in their opening five matches of the new season. Goretzka was not even in the squad for the 6-1 weekend win over Kiel, but scored from the bench in their 9-2 hammering of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night.

Earlier this week, Bayern chief Max Eberl admitted the midfielder was “upset” with his situation at the club, with summer signing Joao Palhinha and academy star Aleksandar Pavlovic given opportunities ahead of him.

It has led to fresh speculation over Goretzka's future, with The Sun suggesting United would be interested in a move if he became available for transfer next year.

However, speaking after the Champions League win over Zagreb, Kompany addressed the midfielder's situation and insisted he still has an important role to play across the campaign. "He’s important for us and will continue to be," the Bayern boss told DAZN. "The team loves him.

"I only have players who want to play and accept the competition for places. At Bayern, it’s always easy to talk about individual players. But I want to talk about the team, that’s important to me. He is very important in this team. He’s doing well, but so are the others."