Thomas Tuchel has lifted the lid on his emotional goodbye with Sadio Mane, as the Senegalese star prepares to end his one-year stint in Germany with Bayern Munich.
Mane arrived at the Allianz Arena last summer for £35.1million, having reached the Champions League final months before with Liverpool where he won every possible honour under Jurgen Klopp.
However just one year later he is set to bring an end to his time with Bayern after a bitterly disappointing spell that saw him score just 12 goals in 38 games, and became embroiled in a reported behind-the-scenes bust-up with Leroy Sane.
Now, the player - still just 31 - looks set to join Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, the latest in a long line of top talents from Europe's top five leagues to make the switch.
Tuchel admitted that neither he nor Mane was pleased with the way the Senegal talisman's time in Germany has come to an end, but also took some of the blame for his departure.
We had a big hug,' the German manager began. 'We agreed that we don’t like what’s happening now but that it’s the best in this situation.
'I totally understand that he feels hurt. I also don’t feel happy. We didn’t bring it to the full potential which is my responsibility.'
Lining up alongside the likes of Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala, Mane seemed set to feature in one of the most dynamic and vibrant attacking units in Europe.
The forward initially looked to have made a fantastic start to his time in Bavaria, scoring five goals before the end of August, and another six by the time the Bundesliga broke off for the Qatar World Cup.
But an injury just before the tournament saw Mane's involvement for the African champions written off, and would prove to be a turning point in his season.
His return in February saw just the one goal scored in all competitions throughout the rest of the season, with Julian Nagelsmann sacked in favour of Tuchel to rescue Bayern's domestic hopes.
Now, Mane is due to have undergone a medical with the Saudi Pro League side on Monday, with a view to finalising a move that signals the end of his nightmare stay in Germany.
He is set to pocket a staggering £34m-a-year (£650,000-a-week) playing for the club alongside Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles, the latter two having also joined this summer.
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