Niko Kovac dismissed the possibility of having the player around for Die Roten's game against Schalke.

Philippe Coutinho left Barcelona to earn enough playing time. Apparently, no one told that to coach Niko Kovac, as he has ruled the player out to make his debut with Bayern this weekend.

Speaking in a press conference, the Croatian boss dismissed the possibility of watching Bayern's newest signing on the pitch against Schalke.

"He is not in fit enough to play this game. He is aware of that and that's our impression," Kovac said.

The footballer played the 2019 Copa América with Brazil and was a late arrival to Barcelona's pre-season, which limited the amount of training sessions he had with the Catalan club.With that in mind, Kovac has decided not to risk the player's health and rush him to play his first Bundesliga match.

"We are not going to risk anything, although some people out there would love us to do that. We will give him all the time he needs to get fit," Kovac added.

Coutinho signed a one-year loan deal with Die Roten last week, following a miserable 18-month spell at Camp Nou. The player could see the deal made permanent next summer if Bayern execs feel it right to pay the $120M buyout clause included in the aforementioned deal.