Manuel Neuer has slammed Bayern Munich 's decision to sack goalkeeping coach and close friend, Toni Tapalovic, feeling that his "heart was ripped out" upon hearing the news.
Tapalovic spent 11-and-a-half years working alongside Neuer in Bavaria but was given the boot in January for allegedly leaking information from the Allianz Arena dressing room. The duo have grown to be close friends over more than a decade, having also been team-mates at ex-club Schalke, and Bayern's legendary captain even chose him to be best man at his wedding.
Neuer, now 36, has been out of action since the World Cup after breaking his leg on a skiing holiday, but he hasn't kept himself out of the headlines. In a fresh and explosive interview with the Athletic, the German shot-stopper has criticised his long-time employers, who've also signed Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer to deputise in his absence.
"That blow hit me extremely hard," Neuer admitted regarding Tapalovic's sacking. "I was told by the club officials. It came out of nowhere. For Toni too. I didn't understand that at all. It really knocked me down." Elaborating on his relationship with his now former coach, the 36-year-old added: "Toni was always a team player with us, everyone saw it that way.
"He wasn't working for me for 11-and-a-half years, but for the entire goalkeeper group, for the coaching staff and for the club. We were always able to separate work and private life. I understand that it might sound like I'm not being objective or not believable, but I can really tell the difference.
"For me, that was a blow — when I was already down on the ground (having broken his leg). I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It was the most brutal thing I've experienced in my career. And I've experienced a lot."
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Neuer's future in Munich has been thrown into jeopardy as a result of the criticism, with German outlet Sport1 claiming that his relationship with manager Julian Nagelsmann and the Bayern hierarchy has now collapsed. CEO Oliver Kahn has already responded.
"What Manuel said in connection with Toni Tapalovic's release does not do justice to him as captain or to the values of FC Bayern," Kahn told DPA Sport on Friday. "In addition, his statements come at the wrong time because we are facing very important games."
The 10-time Bundesliga -winning goalkeeper has a contract with Bayern which expires in less than 18 months' time. With Sommer two years younger than Neuer, club chiefs may view the Switzerland international as their long-term solution between the posts after paying Borussia Monchengladbach a fee worth £8.3million in the January transfer window.
