Senegalese icon Sadio Mané’s short stint at German giants Bayern Munich has come to an end this summer after the former Liverpool star is on track to join the mass exodus to the Roshn Saudi League with an impending move to Al-Nassr but club-mate Joshua Kimmich has lept to his defense after a questionable 2022-23 campaign in Bavaria.
The 31-year-old winger failed to make the grade at the Allianz Arena and already has one foot out of the door at Säbener Straße while looking primed to join Cristiano Ronaldo and company at Al-Awwal Park, ending a frustrating 12 months with the Bundesliga champions.
It was an overall frustrating period for Mané, who managed just seven league goals under the combined leadership of Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, but as the top flight of Saudi football beckons, Kimmich has offered insight into what may have gone wrong.
„Dann bist du ein neuer Spieler im Ausland – mit neuer Sprache, neuer Kultur und Menschen. Wenn du dann als Topstar kommst und dir sehr viel Kritik – manches zurecht, manches zu unrecht – anhören musst, kann ich mir vorstellen, dass das nicht einfach ist.“ (2/2)
— Tobi Altschäffl (@altobelli13) July 29, 2023
In quotes provided by Bild’s chief reporter Tobi Altschäffl, Kimmich claims that Mané’s struggles were hardly down to just the player alone.
“He played a very good first half of the season last season and delivered good statistics. It wasn’t his fault alone that things weren’t going well for us. The big picture was no longer right for us.”
“Then you are a new player abroad – with a new language, new culture, and people. When you come out as a top star and have to listen to a lot of criticism – some rightly, some wrongly – I can imagine that it’s not easy.”
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