Noel Whelan tells Sadio Mane could have been more respectful towards Liverpool during Bayern Munich move
Sadio Mane is now a Bayern Munich player after leaving Liverpool this summer for a move to the Bundesliga champions. The now 30-year-old star joined LFC from Southampton in 2016.
And after six long years at Anfield, he is now going to continue his journey elsewhere. There was a lot of talk surrounding Mane and Bayern when he was still on our books.
In a press conference when he was with the Senegal squad earlier this month, Mane even commented that his countrymen would get what they want- which has eventually turned out to be a move to Bayern.
Just before the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid last month, Mane claimed in an interview that he would give a ‘special‘ answer after the game with Los Blancos was over.
Perhaps he was imagining a fairytale exit where he would announce his exit after the Reds won the UCL title. That didn’t happen and a few weeks later, Mane was wearing the Bayern shirt regardless.
Is Whelan right?
And according to Noel Whelan, who played for Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Leeds United during his heyday, Mane could have handled his exit way better. He told Football Insider (h/t Liverpool Echo):
“I think he could have handled it with a little bit more respect. I think Mane was away on international duty telling the Senegal people that they would get what they wanted and that was a move to Bayern Munich.”
He really did seem more inclined towards appeasing Senegal fans over those at Liverpool. While it is obvious that his countrymen love him unconditionally, so do Liverpool fans.
“I just think sometimes when you’re going about making a move, you don’t need to get involved as a player. It’s down to the two clubs to battle it out.”
His interview after the move to Bayern was announced was, of course, a very nice read for our fans. But perhaps we could have used some of those comments while rumours about him leaving Liverpool were rife.
If not that, then maintaining silence and giving diplomatic answers is another fail-proof strategy.
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But what’s done is done and while Mane surely means no harm to Liverpool fans with his intent to join Bayern, the realisation that the Reds were just another club in his individual journey is a reality check we weren’t ready for.
