Joshua Kimmich has come to the defense of Sadio Mane after the Liverpool winger’s disappointing one-year stint at Bayern Munich. Mane is set to leave the Bundesliga champions and join Al-Nassr, a Saudi Arabian team that also features Cristiano Ronaldo. According to reports, Al-Nassr will pay Bayern up to £35 million ($45m) for Mane, matching his annual salary.
Mane’s time in Munich didn’t go as expected, but Kimmich believes that his struggles weren’t solely his own fault. Kimmich spoke to Bild and said, “He played a very good first half of the season last season and delivered good statistics. He wasn’t solely to blame for the fact that things didn’t work for us anymore. The big picture wasn’t right for us anymore.”
Kimmich emphasized that Mane’s experience as a new player in a foreign country with a different language, culture, and people played a role in his difficulties. He also acknowledged that being a top star and having to deal with criticism, justified or not, can be tough.
Looking ahead, Mane will join Al-Nassr and team up with Cristiano Ronaldo. He will aim to help the team win the Saudi Pro League title in the upcoming season.
