Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn has presented a possible reason as to why Sadio Mane has not replicated his form for Liverpool at his new club as his side prepare to take on Manchester City.
Mane moved to the Allianz Arena last summer, bringing to a close his six-year association with Liverpool.
One of Jurgen Klopp's first signings as Reds manager, the former Southampton forward had an incredible impact at Anfield during his time at the club.
After forming one of the greatest attacking partnerships in Premier League history with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, the trio helped fire Liverpool to a Champions League crown in 2019 and the league title in the following year.
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The Senegal star got his Bayern career off to the perfect start, winning the DFL Supercup in his first competitive game for the club. In the 5-3 win over RB Leipzig, Mane scored his side's second goal.
He then scored six league goals and provided two assists prior to the World Cup, but missed the tournament entirely due to injury.
But since his comeback in late February, the 31-year-old has failed to score in any of his eight appearances in all competitions - leading to questions over his performances.
Bayern CEO addresses Mane form
Mane has primarily played on the left side for Bayern since his arrival, but in a different role to the one played at Liverpool behind a front two.
He did line up behind a sole striker in Bayern's 1-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday - which was new manager Thomas Tuchel's second league game in charge since replacing Julian Nagelsmann.
And Kahn, who was a goalkeeper for Bayern between 1991 and 2006, recently told Sky Germany that he believes Mane will "explode" into form soon in Germany.
He explained (quotes via The Athletic): "He's still in search of himself a little.
"He's a player that needs a lot of encouragement. He's not used to the type of competition for places we have here. It wasn't like that at Liverpool.
"We hope he will come through for us sooner or later."
Mane and Bayern face Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Topics: Bayern Munich, Sadio Mane, Liverpool, Premier League, Bundesliga, Champions League, Thomas Tuchel
Ryan Smart