Thomas Tuchel has backed Sadio Mane to prove his worth at Bayern Munich after his reported fallout with former manager Julian Nagelsmann.
WHAT HAPPENED? The Senegal international reportedly confronted Nagelsmann about his reduced role before the German was sacked by Bayern, having only seen eight minutes of action against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie.
Former Chelsea boss Tuchel was appointed as Nagelsmann’s replacement during the international break, and is backing Mane to rediscover the kind of form that saw him emerge as one of the top forwards in Europe at Liverpool.
WHAT THEY SAID: “He scored 20, 30 goals every year for Liverpool and was an absolute key player there. His quality is beyond any doubt,” Tuchel told reporters. “Even at his age, it always takes time to acclimate after a change of clubs. That can take time.
There’s no doubt about his quality and what it can bring us. It’s about trust and patience so he can get back into the rhythm. A goal usually helps the confidence.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Tuchel brought on Mane from the bench in the final 20 minutes of their Der Klassiker win against Borussia Dortmund at the weekend, and he looked lively as Bayern closed out a 4-2 victory to return to the Bundesliga summit.
The forward has to sit out large chunks of the season with a leg injury that required him to go under the knife, and has struggled to re-establish himself as a starter since his return in February. However, he will be hoping to impress Tuchel in training so that he gets to play a more important role in the business end of the season.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
