A clearing finally occurs in the grayness of the Bavarian sky, whose flagship Bayern has been going through a mini-crisis since the start of the year, with three meager draws in three games since the post-World Cup resumption. Senegalese international Sadio Mané, 30, touched the ball on Tuesday at the Bayern Munich training ground, as the countdown started two weeks away from challenging PSG in the Champions League, as part of a a double round-trip confrontation in the round of 16 of the competition (February 14 and March 8).
Injured in the right fibula in mid-November in the league against Werder Bremen, then operated a few days later, the Senegalese was, for the first time in almost three months, able to train with the ball during an individual session, a week after resuming racing. His injury had deprived him of the World Cup in Qatar.
Forfeited with Senegal for the World Cup in Qatar, the former Liverpuldien is in a race against time to become operational again, while Bayern travel to the Parc des Princes in a fortnight – the return match is scheduled for March 8 at the Allianz Arena.
Until then, Bayern will play three games, giving the striker plenty of opportunities to test himself under competitive conditions, even on a part-time basis. “In my mind, I’m not counting on him for the first match against Paris,” Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said in mid-January during the preparation for Doha, even if Mané was ahead of his recovery program. .
In addition, Bayern saw the return to collective training on Monday of another Senegalese international, the right side Bouna Sarr, operated on in mid-September of the left knee (patellar tendon).
The ten-time German champions and six-time European Cup winners “with big ears” are deprived until the end of the season of goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer (fracture of the lower part of the right leg contracted by skiing) and defender Lucas Hernandez (rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee).