Jurgen Klopp discusses reason for Sadio Mane's failed Bayern Munich spell

Jurgen Klopp has blamed bad luck for Sadio Mane's struggles at Bayern Munich, with the Liverpool legend on the verge of a move to Saudi Arabia.

Mane left Liverpool for Bayern Munich last summer in a £27.5m deal, having spent six years at Anfield.

After a promising start, in which he scored three in his first three Bundesliga outings, things went from bad to worse for Mane in Bavaria.

A leg injury saw him miss a chunk of the season, including the 2022 World Cup, while he fell down the pecking order behind Bayern's other attacking options.

A reported fight with Leroy Sane after the Champions League defeat to Manchester City in April saw the 2022 Ballon d'Or runner up fined by the German champions, with the writing seemingly already on the wall for a summer exit.

Al Nassr have reportedly now agreed a deal for Mane, with the Senegal international set to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo Brozovic in Riyadh.

Mane told Sky Sports: "Leaving FC Bayern hurts me. I would have wished for a different ending. I know that I could have helped the team this season. I wanted to prove it to everyone this season. Nevertheless, I only wish the club and the fans the best for the future."

Speaking about his former player, Klopp suggested 'luck' played a part in Mane's failure to launch in Germany.

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“I don’t know what went wrong, to be honest. I think Sadio left us on a high, in really good shape, world-class player, no shadow of a doubt,” the Liverpool manager said in his press conference ahead of Wednesday clash with Bayern.

"To fulfil your full potential I think everything has to fall in place pretty much. A bit of luck is helpful as well, and that was obviously not the case.

“A bad injury in a horrible moment, the World Cup was gone. So we all knew that would have an influence, because Sadio is a very proud man, and that he couldn’t lead his country to the World Cup was brutal for him, definitely.”

Mane will not be present when the Reds take on Bayern in Singapore on Wednesday, with the forward not part of the German side's pre-season squad with his exit now imminent.