Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has claimed that there was no chance that the club were going to terminate goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's contract in a similar style to what Manchester United did with Cristiano Ronaldo after similarly incendiary interviews.
Neuer, 36, is currently sidelined for the season with a fractured leg injury suffered while skiing back in his homeland just days after returning from the World Cup following Germany's elimination during the group stages. Last month, Bayern dispensed with the club's long-time goalkeeper coach Toni Tapalović, who was also a close friend of Neuer's.
The player has since conducted a pair of unsanctioned interviews with The Athletic's Raphael Honigstein as well as the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. Such actions have drawn comparisons to the way Ronaldo sat down with Piers Morgan, which led to the player's second spell at Old Trafford ending "by mutual agreement, with immediate effect".
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Hainer has now claimed that Bayern never considered taking such action against Neuer in recent days. “There was absolutely no question of terminating the contract. Manuel is our player and has a contract," the club's president is quoted as saying in the German tabloid BILD.
“This is not FC Bayern. Here we clarify something like that internally, and that is what makes our club special and strong.”
Hainer added: “We will now sit down with him and work through everything calmly and professionally.” The German league-leaders face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Valentine's Day when January signing from Borussia Monchengladbach Yann Sommer, who has previously been linked with United, is expected to continue deputising in goal for Neuer, as has been the case in each of their last five domestic matches.
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