What happened to Dale Jennings after former Tranmere Rovers player's £1.8m move to Bayern Munich

It was at Tranmere's iconic Raby Vale training ground where one of the most remarkable transfers in football history sparked into life.

Dale Jennings remembers the training session in the summer of 2011 that changed his career forever.

"Tranmere manager Les Parry called me in during a session and said 'I just had someone from Bayern Munich on the phone," he told SPORTbible in 2019. "I just started laughing because he's a bit of a joker, but he was being deadly serious."

The 18-year-old midfielder, who burst onto the scene that season after coming through the youth ranks, was attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs, including Everton, West Ham and Watford.

But on July 13, 2011, he secured a dream move to Germany's biggest club in a deal worth around £1.8 million.

"I didn't know what I was getting myself in for until I was on the plane, on my own and on the way to Munich," he recalled.

Image credit: Dale Jennings

In the space of a few months, this raw but exciting talent went from playing in front of 5,000 people in the lower leagues of English football to being labelled a potential replacement for Franck Ribery. It was something he found difficult to deal with.

"Making that move to the Bundesliga was bigger than I thought it was going to be. I wasn't expecting all the media attention." Jennings admitted. "When when you hear that you're one of the top teenagers in the world, the pressure is on."

Bayern captain Lahm soon made the youngster feel welcome by introducing him to life in Bavaria's capital but the 18-year-old would soon encounter further problems in his new home.

In addition to mounting injury problems, Jennings struggled to settle in Munich.

"I had always lived with my Mum so being thrown in at the deep end, in another country, was mentally tough," he said.

"Instead of getting on with my football, I had to take in the other aspects of life. Not being able to speak the language was difficult as well. You couldn't really have any banter with the lads."

He went on to make 36 appearances for Munich's B team, playing alongside the likes of Emre Can and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but injuries and homesickness played a part in his eventual departure.

Two years into his three-year deal, he left the Bundesliga side in 2013 after failing to make a first-team appearance for the club.

Jennings would go on to join Championship side Barnsley for £250,000 and his fairytale was over. That being said, he doesn't regret a single minute.

"I think if I was to do it all over again, I'd learn the language more. I'd take the culture in." he said. "The first couple of months were just surreal and it didn't sink in. I was struggling with the language and half way through my first season I was homesick and thought about coming home.

"Maybe if I stayed a little longer in England and made that jump when I was older, things might have turned out a little different but I don't regret moving there because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"Stuff like this doesn't happen. It's unheard of at that age."

Image credit: Getty

Jennings continued to struggle in the coming years and, despite picking up the Young Player of the Year award at Barnsley, injuries once again played their part.

"When you're picking up injuries all the time it makes you think about packing football in all together." he said. "You feel like you're over an injury and then something else pops up."

A decade after joining Bayern and the midfielder was playing for Runcorn Town, a semi-professional side in the ninth tier of English football.

At the time, his time with Germany's most successful club was still part of his everyday life.

"My teammates would say, 'Oh here he is, how's Ribery?' and stuff like that," he said. "When you meet new players they ask, 'How was Bayern?' and 'How was Germany?' - I just say it was alright.

"I play it down a little bit because I just want to focus on what I'm doing now and try not to bring the past up. I just want to get myself going again.

"The fans give me stick as well. You hear people talking when you're playing, shouting things at you because of the level I've played at and where I've been. I thrive on it to be honest. I love getting a bit of stick from the fans."

Image credit: Getty

It has been a tough journey for Jennings, both on and off the field. He is currently a free agent at 31, two years after leaving Northern Premier League Premier Division side Prescot Cables.

But still, he played for Bayern Munich. Nobody can take that away from him.