Sadio Mané is back for Bayern Munich

At long last, Sadio Mané is back on the field! For the first time since the second-to-last game of the Hinrunde, the Senegalese forward is back in action. Julian Nagelsmann sent Mané on in the 65th minute of Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over Union Berlin. It was a double substitution along with Serge Gnabry, with starters Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Kingsley Coman making way.

“I missed football, it was a long time,” Mané said (in German!) after the game, via kicker’s Georg Holzner.

What had originally seemed like a minor issue that forced him off in the first half against Werder Bremen in early November quickly turned into a surgery and three-month recovery prognosis. Mané lost out on the 2022 Men’s World Cup as well as Bayern’s Champions League Round of 16 first leg at Paris Saint-Germain.

But now with one more league game to go, Mané is in line for at least a substitute appearance for the second leg in Munich.

Could he even be ready for a start by then? “It’s important to take the whole thing step by step. I played 30 minutes today, maybe next game I can play 45 minutes or an hour,” Mané said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Regardless, it’s good just to see him playing again.

Interested in a more in-depth look at the game? Will Julian Nagelsmann stick to this setup? Should he? And is the Bundesliga stronger this season? We tackle all those questions and more in the latest edition of our podcast. Listen to it below or at this link.

As always, we appreciate all the support!