Alaba adamant he did not demand Bayern midfield role

David Alaba has stressed that playing in midfield was never a condition for him to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich.

The 23-year-old generally plays in midfield for Austria, but has mostly been playing left-back at club level.

He has stated on more than one occasion that he would also like to feature in midfield for Bayern, but his position on the pitch was not one of the main factors Alaba took into consideration before he eventually signed a new deal until 2021.

“I’ve said a few times over the years that I’m very happy in midfield with the national team. My club knows that,” Alaba told ESPN.

“We did talk about playing in midfield, but the decision to sign a new contract was really about other things.

“I’m 23 now. First of all, I thought very carefully about where I saw myself play over the next few years. Then I made a clear decision that it would be at Bayern. I’m grateful to be here. They’re one of the best clubs in the world.

“Munich has become like a second home to me. They understand my dialect here, Bavarian is not too different. As for playing in midfield, we’ll see what happens over the next few years.”