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Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has hit out at Sadio Mane for not being "respectful" about his summer move away from Liverpool.
Mane, who won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League during his six-year stint with the Reds, recently joined Bayern Munich in a deal worth up to £35.1 million. The 30-year-old penned a three-year deal at the Allianz Arena.
Earlier this month, the attacker claimed, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, that he would respect the wishes of fans from his home country Senegal and leave Liverpool before the start of the 2022-23 season.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that the Senegal international could have handled his exit in better fashion.
"I think he could have handled it with a little bit more respect. I think Mane was away on international duty telling the Senegal people that they would get what they wanted and that was a move to Bayern Munich."
He continued:
"I think he could've been a bit more respectful and graceful about the move at the end of his era at Liverpool. I think he’s been a fantastic player and left a legacy behind him at Anfield, and rightly so. I just think sometimes when you’re going about making a move, you don’t need to get involved as a player. It’s down to the two clubs to battle it out."
He further added:
"That's why you have an agent, let him get on with it and do the talking. I just think sometimes players need to respect the club and the manager a little bit more. And the fans as well, they deserved a little bit better in how it materialised."
Registering 168 goal contributions in 269 appearances across all competitions, the former Southampton man helped Liverpool transform into a footballing powerhouse and lift six trophies.
Sadio Mane to don number 17 jersey at Bayern Munich
Sadio Mane, who terrorised defenders for years while wearing the iconic number 10 jersey at Liverpool, has been handed the number 17 squad number at his new club Bayern Munich.
Explaining his decision, the forward told the club's official website:
"I picked out 17 from the free jersey numbers at FC Bayern and aim to celebrate many successes with my team and this number. I'm really looking forward to starting preparations for the season with my new team-mates very soon."
Last season, midfielder Michael Cuisance donned the number 17 shirt for Bayern Munich. Prior to that, defender Jerome Boateng had filled that spot for 10 seasons while he inherited the number from former Netherlands midfielder and current Royal Antwerp manager Mark van Bommel.
