More than a Musiala back-up

The injury to Musiala at the FIFA Club World Cup cast a shadow over Bayern's summer. How do you replace the irreplaceable? 

The blow compounded the fact that Thomas Müller, the most obvious replacement, was moving on after a quarter of a century at the club.

Watch: Musiala's best skills 

Michael Olise could easily play in the number 10 position. New signing Luis Díaz can also do a job there. There's even the ability to move Leon Goretzka further forward or the less proven options of Tom Bischof and pre-season star Lennart Karl.

Instead, head coach Vincent Kompany has backed Gnabry and been handsomely rewarded. Harry Kane may be stealing he headlines with 10 goals. Díaz has netted in each of his first three Bundesliga appearances. And Olise oozes class every time he gets onto the ball and also has three goals to his name. But Gnabry has quietly gone about his business in replacing Bayern's (new) No.10.

Watch: Bayern's attacking hurricane

Kompany is seemingly now keen to address that lack of recognition, with the Belgian taking the opportunity to praise the 30-year-old in some of his most recent press conferences.

Speaking after Bayern’s opening day 6-0 hammering of RB Leipzig, Kompany described Gnabry as “an underrated player with very few weaknesses”.

This is underlined by his statistics so far this season. In six appearances across all competitions, Gnabry has already scored twice and provided three assists at a rate of approximately one goal contribution every 80 minutes.

In comparison, Olise currently averages a goal contribution every 90 minutes; Díaz every 87.

Watch: Serge Gnabry featured among the top 5 goals from Matchday 3

Speaking ahead of Bayern’s UEFA Champions League opener against Chelsea, Kompany heaped more praise on his No.7.

“Serge has always been a top player. It's not easy to deliver top performances for six or seven years. Maybe he's had a few hiccups. But he has great qualities; I believe in him and his strengths.”

Kane was also eager to highlight his burgeoning partnership with Gnabry after his brace to beat Chelsea, explaining that "Serge and I often drop deep to make it tough for them to press".

As someone who has played as a centre-forward, winger, No.10 and even wing-back throughout his career, Gnabry could often be accused of being a jack of all attacking trades.

However, he's mastering his role as Bayern's number 10 right now and his confidence is clear to see as he repays the faith placed in him.

"Everything’s clicking right now. I'm in good shape at the moment," Gnabry said after opening the scoring in the 5-0 hammering of Hamburg on Matchday 3 with a thumping effort in the first few minutes.

"As a football player, you need a little bit of luck at times for things to go your way. Last season, I experienced a good spell but then my knee brought that to a halt. Now, I'm healthy, I feel well, I'm confident and I'm in a good flow."

Injuries over the past two seasons really hampered a player who had scored double digits in each of his first seven years in the Bundesliga with Bayern, Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen.

Watch: The best goal from each of Gnabry's first seven Bundesliga seasons

Now fully fit again and firing on all cylinders, if he can continue to perform at this level, Gnabry could well be on track to match his stellar opening campaign at the club when he was voted Bayern’s Player of the Season by the fans.

It's an ominous prospect for opponents, even before Musiala threatens to return as well.