As he overcomes a difficult start to life at Bayern Munich, Sadio Mane has admitted it is “not easy” to adjust, but insists he is still “very happy.”
Mane made the decision to leave Liverpool for Munich in the summer, arriving at Bayern in a deal worth £35.1 million after six years on Merseyside.
The 30-year-old has endured a difficult spell of late, with a six-game goal drought leading to scrutiny over his worth, but he ended that with a strike in Friday’s 4-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen.
Victory was Bayern’s first in five Bundesliga games, with Julian Nagelsmann’s side left third in the table behind Union Berlin and Freiburg.
And speaking to UEFA.com, Mane accepted that the transition to a new club and culture was “not easy,” but stressed that he is “very happy.”
“It is going well. Switching from one club to another is not easy,” he explained.
“I spent eight very nice years in England, six years at Liverpool [after] two at Southampton, and now I am in a new country.
“It is not easy because everything changes so suddenly: people, training, everything. Everything is changing so it is not easy at all.
“I need to adapt. I knew that and it came as no surprise. It is happening just the way I imagined it.
“People here are welcoming, and they’re real players. People around the club are amazing so I am very happy.”
There have been suggestions that, with Liverpool struggling for consistency so far this season, Mane’s departure has been felt more heavily than expected.
But in an interview with Sky Germany, Jurgen Klopp insisted that “everything will be fine” for both parties.
“Do I miss him? Yes! But I’m happy too that he’s where he wanted to be,” the manager said. “We’ll take care of our problems here.
“Sadio is an outstanding player. Everyone in Munich saw that too. He’s absolutely world class. Everything will be fine.”
On Bayern’s disjointed form, which has seen them win just four of their eight league games so far, Klopp added: “It also opens a door for others.
“Why should Bayern become champions for the 11th time? It’s not bad either.
“But that has nothing to do with Sadio. Sadio will [help them] because he’s world class.”
