Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane has broken his silence on the incident that allegedly saw him punch Leroy Sane after a Champions League game.
- Sane & Mane came to blows after Man City loss
- Mane subsequently suspended
- Has spoken out on the incident and his future
WHAT HAPPENED? Things got heated between Mane and Sane in the Bayern dressing room after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie back in March. Mane allegedly punched his team-mate, having initially been angered by how he spoke to him on the pitch. The Senegal international was removed from the dressing room and later suspended by the club for his actions, with manager Thomas Tuchel then declaring the matter closed. Mane has finally spoken out on the altercation with Sane, admitting that he could have handled the situation better.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Something like that can happen. It happened,” the 31-year-old said in an interview with Senegalese television station 2sTV. “We were able to solve this small problem. Sometimes it’s good to solve problems, but maybe not in this way. That’s behind us now.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mane moved to Bayern on a permanent transfer from Liverpool last summer, but struggled to live up to expectations in his first season at Allianz Arena. Mane only managed 11 goals in 37 appearances and lost his place in the starting XI after struggling with injury over the festive period. It has been suggested that the winger could be sold this summer, amid reports of a possible return to the Premier League, but he has no plans to leave Germany at this stage.
“If everything goes well, I will return to Bayern,” he added. “It’s been a very complicated season, but that happens. It wasn’t a surprise to me. I expected it to be a bit complicated. That’s normal. I love challenges and Bayern is a big challenge. Now it’s up to me to give everything to meet this challenge.”
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WHAT NEXT FOR MANE? The Bayern star’s agent, Bacary Cisse, has also spoken to 2sTV about his client’s future, in response to fresh reports claiming that clubs from Saudi Arabia are interested in his services. Cisse expressed his belief that Mane’s first season in Germany was “not bad” before adding on his links to the Middle East: “I haven’t heard anything about offers from Saudi Arabia. It is certain that he will stay with Bayern.”
