SINGAPORE — Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said Tuesday he shared a hug with Sadio Mané and is saddened the Senegal forward couldn’t tap his full potential in Germany ahead of his move to Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr.
Al Nassr made the official announcement late Tuesday that Mané will join the Saudi club.
He leaves the German champions after a single season that was marred by injury and a lack of goals. After Tuchel took over in March, he was often a bench player.
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“It was kind of sad. We had a long hug but we had both a smile on our faces and we assured ourselves to keep the good relationship. It’s not personal from his side,” Tuchel said in Singapore during Bayern’s preseason tour.
“I can totally understand that he feels hurt. I feel also not happy if things like this happen. We didn’t bring it to the full potential, which is my job also and my responsibility. So it’s always kind of a sad moment but in this particular situation it was the best solution to untie the knot.”
Mané now becomes the latest world football star to head to Saudi Arabia and will join up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
German broadcaster Sky Sport reported Monday that Mané had said it was painful to leave Bayern and that he believed he was still useful to the team.
Tuchel said he was surprised by the “gold rush” unleashed by Saudi Arabia’s clubs over the last year and compared it to similarly lavish spending in the Chinese league in the 2010s, something which has since eased up.
“We’re experiencing the next league who tries to become more popular, more famous, who tries to build a brand, and they convince a lot of players, a lot of quality players and even coaches,” Tuchel said.
“So a completely new situation and a bit too early for me to have a clear opinion. I’m an observer, a surprised observer.”