Bayern Munich is not always the right place for a young talent. That is what 20-year-old winger Barry Hepburn and 21-year-old left back Leon Fust found out after returning from loans to DSV Leoben and SKU Amstetten respectively in the Austrian Erste Liga, the second division of Austrian football. Their next destination was most likely meant to be a loan move, but with most of the world’s transfer windows shutting now shut, no destination was found.
And so the two were left with the choice of being integrated as bit part players of Bayern’s U-23s or being released to free agency to keep a potential move still open. Their decision was made clear in the form of Bayern Munich’s Campus twitter account confirming the separation “via mutual agreement” recently. Barry Hepburn, a signing from Celtic’s U-18s in 2020, was touted as a very talented player from his arrival in Munich and even trained with the senior team earlier in the summer. Meanwhile, Leon Fust graduated from nearly every Bayern youth team in a very successful 8 year stint at the club. This writer wishes them the brightest of futures and much success in their careers.
More positive news arrives in the form of two contract extensions for two very talented young players. U-19 goalkeeper Leon Klanac and U-19 attacking midfielder Jussef Nasrawe’s contract extensions until 2027 was confirmed by Bayern Munich’s official website. Klanac is highly rated, with his kicking, handling and command of the box particularly eye catching (though a late growth spurt would help him). Meanwhile, Nasrawe is a technical marvel with an eye for the most outrageous of passes and the leadership to be named as captain of the U-19s despite being one of the youngest and smallest of the side. These contract extensions will prove a boon to Bayern.
Looking to catch-up on Bayern Munich’s weekend, plus a breakdown of how each Bundesliga match played out? Great, then check out the latest episode of Bavarian Podcast Works — The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
