Aaron Danks steps in for Kompany as FC Bayern's stand‑in head coach in Freiburg
On a bright Saturday morning at the Rhein‑Neckar‑Stadion in Freiburg, the Bayern bench was suddenly thin. With Vincent Kompany still in a Munich hospital after collapsing on the training pitch the previous day, assistant Aaron Danks took charge as the stand‑in Cheftrainer for the FC Bayern side, the FCB.
Vincent Kompany’s collapse on Friday left the Bayern coaching staff scrambling. Danks, who has been the Assistent to Kompany since the summer of 2024, was thrust into the Cheftrainer role for the match in Freiburg.
Asked whether the sudden spotlight added pressure, Danks replied at the Saturday press conference: “Wenn man es als Druck wahrnimmt, kann es natürlich Druck werden. Aber für uns als Trainerteam gilt es einfach, an unseren Abläufen festzuhalten. Daran, wie wir arbeiten, das tun wir schließlich jetzt schon für eine lange Zeit gemeinsam.” He appeared calm and unexcited, mirroring the composure of his boss.
Kompany remains in a Munich hospital, where sport director Max Eberl said his condition is stable but that weeks may be needed before he can return. Eberl added that Bayern have no sporting concerns because the integration between Kompany and his coaching Team is well established.
Coaching duties and influence
Danks is responsible for designing playing patterns and set‑piece routines, often delivering a heavy coaching input during Training sessions. His calm, reliable and pleasant manner has made him popular within the squad. The staff believes his presence helps the Team stick to the established processes.
Bayern travel to Freiburg with reduced squad as Kompany and stars miss
Eberl praised Danks for embodying “den Geist von Vinnie”. “We have a fantastic coaching staff. Vinnie is the head of it, but success is based on the Team. There is no thought of changing anything. They all have Vinnie’s spirit in them and we will face the next weeks like that,” he said.
First big test in Paris
The first major occasion where Danks acted as Kompany’s representative came at the end of April, when the Belgian missed the Champions League semi‑final first leg in Paris due to a yellow‑card suspension. Danks hat bereits damals bewiesen, dass er in kritischen Momenten das Kommando übernehmen kann. He took charge from the bench as Bayern fell 4‑5 to Paris Saint‑Germain, yet his performance earned widespread praise. The experience, he later noted, showed he can operate on football’s biggest stages.
Schon mit 15 begann er, Trainer zu sein, und verließ die weiterführende Schule, um mit einem Ballsack, Leibchen und einer Busfahrkarte durch Birmingham zu ziehen und an Schulen sowie in Feriencamps Trainingseinheiten zu leiten. He later became a youth coach at Birmingham City, moved at 22 to West Bromwich Albion’s academy where he stayed eleven years, and then joined the English FA as a possession coach for the national youth sides. In that role he was on the staff when England’s U20 won the World Cup in 2017 and later worked with Jamal Musiala in the England U21 set‑up.
Bayern turn to Aaron Danks as Kompany’s hospital stay could last weeks
Danks sometimes brings his 16‑year‑old son Coby to the training ground, a habit he kept even on the week before Bayern’s 2‑2 draw with Arsenal. “My family still lives in England, so I am here in Munich alone. During school holidays they come over and we gladly invite Coby to be on the sidelines and watch Training,” he told, adding that his son helps the kit men and collects balls, a small joy for both father and son.