Sadio Mane shared a wholesome moment with a young fan on Bayern Munich’s pitch in video footage with a photo taken by teammate Thomas Muller.
Mane joined Bayern Munich in a £35.1million agreement from Liverpool this summer. The Senegalese star pulled the curtain down on six trophy-laden seasons at Anfield after making it clear he wanted a new challenge.
The forward got off to a fast start with the Bundesliga giants, scoring four goals in his first four games. However, he has since gone six matches without another strike, including two blanks in the Champions League and Saturday’s defeat at Augsburg.
Footage has now emerged of Bayern’s recent draw at home to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, when a young fan of the Bavarian giants recorded himself running onto the pitch as he attempted to get close to the former Liverpool star.
The boy could be seen jumping onto the field of play and sprinting towards Mane, whom he subsequently asked to share a hug with – to which the footballer agreed. At this juncture, the nearby Muller comes across and offers to take a photo of the two together.
The incident came after Dietmar Hamann, who played for both Bayern and Liverpool, questioned how Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann was deploying the Senegalese forward in his attacking system while claiming that Mane looks “isolated” within the team setup.
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Hamann said earlier this week : “He is not integrated. I saw him at Liverpool, where he played through the middle. That is not his position. Now he’s taking that position at FC Bayern as well. He is at his best when he comes from the outside. He doesn’t look happy to me. Other players like Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala or, in defence, Lucas Hernandez, who is injured at the moment, are putting in outstanding performances. Nobody is talking about Mane at the moment. He seems isolated and hardly takes part in the game. FC Bayern has to get a grip on that.”
Bayern boss Nagelsmann reassured this week: "He put in so much for Liverpool. He's a new signing. He just needs to adapt. He was trying. I'm certain he will succeed for us."
Mane joined Bayern in a busy summer for the German champions in what marked somewhat of a change in attacking style by the club, as they sanctioned the sale of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona and attempted to rebuild and reshape their team.
