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.
