Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae has ended speculation about his future by declaring he intends to remain at the club, despite ongoing links with a move to Manchester United. The South Korea international has been repeatedly tipped to join the Red Devils, who have shown interest since his Napoli days.
Kim's commitment to Bayern
Speaking to reporters via South Korea outlet Yonhap, Kim said: "As a player, just to be with a team like Bayern Munich is a blessing. Last season, I thought I played a lot of matches. I am competing as the third defender [behind Upamecano and Tah], and I know I have no choice but to work hard. I think the coach will give me a lot of opportunities, and I think I will stay put."
Kim has made 116 appearances for Bayern over the past three seasons, often playing third-choice centre-back behind Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah. Despite this, he remains a key part of the squad under coach Vincent Kompany.
Kompany's praise
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany also addressed Kim's role, praising the defender's professionalism. "We have always talked about competition is something that I like personally. It is something that I have known, is something that I have experienced," Kompany said. "I have been in the position of Min-jae, Upa [Upamecano] and Tah, all in one cycle when I was at Manchester City myself as a defender. The main thing is to have the quality and then afterwards for them to compete to prove on the pitch."
Kompany added: "What I will give a compliment to Min-jae [about] is that no matter what, he keeps the focus, and he does the talking on the pitch. In every situation, he has had the right response. His performances have been really good last season for us. You can decide who is one, two, three and four. People always make these rankings, but for me, more importantly, because he performs how he does, everybody else in the position has to be good as well. And that is what I want to maintain in the team, not just in the centre back position but in every position, if possible."
United's summer activity
Manchester United have had a busy summer transfer window, bringing in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow, with further reinforcements planned before the September 1 deadline. However, Kim appears to be off the table as he commits his future to Bayern.
