Thomas Tuchel issues warning to Sadio Mane ahead of pre-season tour
Jul 16, 2023
Munich [Germany], July 16 : Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel has warned Sadio Mane about his place in the starting eleven as the Bundesliga title holders prepare to begin their pre-season tour.
Mane has had a rough patch since he made a switch from Liverpool to Bayern Munich. He made 18 Bundesliga starts in his debut season for the club, scoring seven goals and providing five assists during that period.
Instead of making headlines for his goal-scoring prowess, Mane ended up being in the limelight for a clash with his teammate Leroy Sane. The Germany international was allegedly punched by the former Liverpool star. Ahead of the pre-season tour, Tuchel has confirmed that he is not guaranteed minutes in Bavaria.
While speaking to Bayern Munich's official website Tuchel said, "Basically, he had an unsatisfactory season and fell short of expectations. The competition is very high in the position where I see him at his strongest, with Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry."
"We're very open and honest with each other, he's our player, he has a contract. We demand everything from him and he demands everything from us. The starting position is not easy, time will tell us more," Tuchel added.
Along with Mane, Tuchel also made it clear that he is demanding a lot from two other key players who didn't meet up with his expectations last season - Leon Goretzka and Ryan Gravenberch.
"They're both our players, they have contracts with us. Ryan is the challenger. He has to get the best out of that role and embrace it. Leon had an unsatisfactory phase. In terms of his status, he is someone we expect a lot of. There's a lot of competition. All the players are here, they want to see what the coach is planning, whether they feel comfortable," Tuchel added.
Bayern will play their first pre-season game against Manchester City on July 26 at the Japan National Stadium, in Tokyo.
