Bayern Munich sporting director responds to claims Sadio Mane is unhappy

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has spoken out in response to claims that summer signing Sadio Mane is unhappy, saying he is holding talks with the Senegal international.

Mane, 30, joined the German champions this summer for £27m after a trophy-laden six years at Liverpool but has so far struggled to find his feet at the Allianz Arena.

The winger has now gone five games without scoring and was substituted by manager Julian Nagelsmann in recent fixtures against Barcelona and Augsburg.

However, Salihamidzic has thrown his support behind Mane in the wake of recent criticism, saying the club will do whatever it can to help their new signing adapt to life in Germany.

“Sadio still needs a little time, he has to get used to the Bundesliga too, but he will. I speak regularly with him” the sporting director told Bild. “I know what it’s like to arrive as a newcomer to a team, in a different country, in a different city, in a slightly different football culture.

“Sadio is in this process, everything will soon be more familiar to him and we will soon see that on the pitch too. He is one of the best players in the world, we will still have a lot of joy with him.”

Nagelsmann has also been quick to play down suggestions of Mane’s unhappiness, insisting the Champions League winner’s patchy form is nothing out of the ordinary.

“He’s a new signing. He just needs to adapt. He was trying. I’m certain he will succeed for us,” he explained. Everything I need to say about Sadio, I’ll say to him and not in the media.

“It’s quite normal as a newcomer who of course still has to adapt to certain procedures that are a bit different to those at Liverpool.

“I already said during the week that I would like him to do certain things more. Maybe less looking for the ball or team-mates and trying to be a bit more self-confident, but we are very happy that we have him and he will put his stamp on our game.”

Bayern face Bayer Leverkusen in their next Bundesliga fixture as they look to improve on a mediocre start to the season. Nagelsmann’s side slipped to fifth in the table after the defeat against Augsburg and are already five points behind surprise leaders Union Berlin.