Hansi Flick wanted to keep Chris Richards on at Bayern Munich

Chris Richards was included in Bayern Munich first team squad for the 2020/2021 Bundesliga season, but he was not getting the minutes he wanted to keep developing. The 20-year-old defender only made three appearances with Bayern with one start and twice coming in as a substitute for a total of 88 minutes.

Before the January transfer window closed, Bayern Munich sent Richards to Hoffenheim on a loan deal for the remainder of the season. The United States international will be reunited with his old coach Sebastian Hoeneb and he is expected to see more playing time in the Bundesliga this season.

Flick tried to retain Richards

Bayern Munich is scheduled to play Hertha for matchday 20 of the Bundesliga before departing to Qatar for the FIFA Club World Cup. Prior to that game the head coach Hansi Flick said that he wanted to keep Chris Richards, but he understood that he needs more playing time in order to develop as a center-back.

“I wanted to keep Richards for the remainder of this season, but this move will be good for him so he can continue improving as a player. Bayern has done this in the past with Philipp Lahm and David Alaba, who were loaned to other teams and when they came back they made a huge impact,” said Flick during Wednesday’s press conference.

Lahm was loaned to Stuttgart from 2003 to 2005 making 53 appearances and scoring two goals in the Bundesliga. When he returned to Bayern Munich he was a regular starter and won it all before retiring in 2017. Alaba was also loaned to Hoffenheim in 2011 and now he is a key player in defense for Bayern Munich, so Richards wants to follow those footsteps.