Hoeness: Munich players must show their worth ahead of shake-up

A planned shake-up of Bayern Munich's squad will depend on player performances over the next months, club president Uli Hoeness has warned.

Hoeness had on the weekend announced a major reshaping of the team in 2019, and he now told Thursday's edition of Kicker sports magazine that "it will depend on how they play.

"You must tell the players that they are under pressure over the next three or four months," Hoeness said, adding the period would determine "who is useful and who isn't."

There is plenty of speculation on who may have to leave, and it is widely believed that veterans Franck Ribery (35), Arjen Robben (34) and Rafinha (33) won't have their contracts renewed.

French World Cup winning defender Benjamin Pavard is meanwhile expected to arrive in summer from VfB Stuttgart.

Bayern are six-times reigning Bundesliga champions but things are not going quite as well this season. They are ranked fifth, seven points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund where they lost 3-2 on Saturday.

Ribery meanwhile said Thursday he has apologised to Patrick Guillou, a worker from a French TV station over an altercation after the Dortmund game, during a meeting the previous day in Munich which reportedly took place in the presence of Hoeness and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic.

"Of course it was wrong what I did. It is always difficult after a game because I was very emotional. I said sorry to Patrick, and to his family. It is good that he came to Munich. The meeting was important for him and for me," Ricbery said.

The incident cost Ribery getting a Bambi award on Friday together with Robben in recognition of their creativity in the Bundesliga.

"We as a media house can't accept such a behaviour towards media representatives," award presenters Hubert Burda Media told dpa on Thursday.