Former Liverpool striker Sean Dundee has backed Sadio Mane to fill the void left at Bayern Munich following Robert Lewandowski’s departure to Barcelona.
Liverpool and Mane’s six-year relationship came to an end in June when the Senegalese forward completed a transfer to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for a fee that could reportedly rise to a figure of around £35 million.
The 30-year-old was expected to partner Polish star Robert Lewandowski in Bayern’s attack this season but could now be tasked with leading the line himself after the two-time Best FIFA Men’s Player joined Barcelona earlier this week.
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According to former Liverpool striker Sean Dundee, who scored 61 goals in 162 Bundesliga appearances for Karlsruher and VfB Stuttgart and now commentates on the league, Mane will thrive under the weight of added responsibility.
“I was surprised to see Mane leave,” Dundee admits. “I think he was Liverpool's best player last season and had probably been the club’s most consistent player over the past few years.
“He maybe doesn't score as many goals as Mohamed Salah but his work-rate and what he brought to the team was one above everybody else. He’s a big signing for Bayern Munich, a huge signing, and I'm sure he will be one of the best players in the Bundesliga.
“I think he is going to decide a lot of games. He will feel a bit freer being out of Salah’s shadow and will feel more important, and I think that will push him forward even further. I think that the eyes will be on him – especially on him – and he will thrive under that pressure.
“With Lewandowski gone he could play down the middle for Bayern or just behind Thomas Müller with the way Julian Nagelsmann sets up his front three. Nowadays, players switch around all the time.
“In any given game, Mane could be up front, or it could be Serge Gnabry or Müller or whoever, it all depends on how they link together. But I don't see Mane having any difficulty fitting in regardless of the role. He's a very adaptable player.”
Dundee, who spent a solitary season with Liverpool during the 1998/99 campaign, also believes Bayern made the right decision to part ways with Lewandowski and that the 33-year-old’s departure will provide an opportunity for Mane and the club’s other attackers to express themselves.
“It was the perfect time to get rid of Lewandowski now. He doesn't want to sign a new deal? Then let him go. He's an amazing player and he's a great goal scorer but I think this was the perfect time to sell him. I don't think there was a better time to get rid of him and I think a lot of the other players will come to the fore now.
“Bayern will miss his goals and having someone who is as strong in the air, who brings that different aspect to the game as a big man up front who can win the headers – there aren't many players in the world who are like him – but they do have other goalscorers.
“They already have players like Gnabry, Müller, Leroy Sane and now Mane too, and I think they will link up well together. So, I don't think it's that important that Lewandowski has left Bayern. I think the club will be even better without him this season than they were last season with him.
“A lot of the players will feel like they are at the same level – you got the feeling that Lewandowski thought he was above the rest and that he was the most important – and now everything will come together a bit more
“There might even be some players in Munich who are happy that he has gone because he has that little bit of Cristiano Ronaldo about him. I remember reading about Karim Benzema being happy that Ronaldo left Real Madrid, because a player like Ronaldo always expects to be given the ball, and Lewandowski is the same.”
Meanwhile, with Mane gearing up to step into Lewandowski’s shoes in Germany, his own replacement, albeit not a like-for-like one, has already arrived at Anfield in the form of Uruguay international Darwin Núñez.
The 23-year-old striker joined Liverpool from Portuguese side Benfica for an initial £64 million last month and could become the club’s most expensive signing of all time if certain conditions in the transaction are fulfilled in the coming years.
“Does he fit? We will have to see but I absolutely rate Darwin Nunez,” Dundee says, when asked how the highly-rated forward will fare.
“He's got that pressure on him now to replace Mane, but I thought he was fantastic over the two legs against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, and I rate him as a really good player.
“The first season might be difficult for him but he's still young and can learn a lot, and with Jurgen Klopp he will definitely move forward.”
While a lot of attention will be on Nunez to see how he fares in the Premier League, over in Germany there will be even more scrutiny on Mane where he has been backed to hit the ground running in the Bundesliga.
“Mane is going to be in focus a lot in the Bundesliga,” Dundee concludes. “The league might not be as fast as the Premier League or as intense, but it is very tactical, and I think he has a very intelligent mind.
“It’s very difficult to predict what he is thinking and a lot of players around him will profit from the way he thinks and plays. He will notice that it's a little bit slower and that he has more time and that will be to his advantage this season.”
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