Sadio Mane reportedly had a big dressing-room bust-up with Julian Nagelsmann, leaving him feeling "intimidated", before the manager was sacked by Bayern Munich.
Last week, the German giants surprisingly announced that they had decided to part ways with the 35-year-old after less than two years in charge.
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He was almost instantly replaced by former Chelsea mentor Thomas Tuchel, with the Bayern board revealing that the decision to fire Nagelsmann came after "big fluctuations in performance" with a squad that was not showing its true potential under him.
Various reports in Germany have suggested that the tactician also had deteriorating relationships with some of the players, with veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said to be among those who did not see eye to eye with the boss.
It has now been claimed that Senegal captain Mane had grown seriously frustrated with Nagelsmann, resulting in a behind-the-scenes spat between them.
According to Bild, the bust-up took place after the second leg of Bayern's round of 16 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League earlier this month, in which the 2022 CAF African Footballer of the Year was given just 13 minutes of action after returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury.
It is said that while the other players celebrated the victory, the Senegal international furiously complained at Nagelsmann about not being brought on sooner in the match, causing the tactician to feel intimidated as the matter threatened to escalate.
Contrary to the Bild claims, however, Bayern stars Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich have denied suggestions of tensions involving the tactician in the dressing room, with the latter stating: "I've already been through a few coaching changes – there was nothing to indicate internally that he lost the dressing room or that players are unhappy. We all were surprised."
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Meanwhile, Goretzka said: "I would be lying if I said the last few days hadn't affected me. It was extremely difficult. We've had a very close relationship with Julian. I probably saw him more than my family. It was a shock!"
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