Kovac reassured as Hoeness recommends Boateng for Bayern exit

Niko Kovac is “100 per cent” certain to be in charge of Bayern Munich next season but Jerome Boateng should look elsewhere, according to Uli Hoeness.

Head coach Kovac successfully guided Bayern to the Bundesliga title at the first attempt and completed a domestic double with a routine 3-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday.

The Croatian is now receiving strong backing from above after courting criticism during the earlier stages of a campaign that started slowly and featured limp elimination at the hands of Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, speaking after the Olympiastadion success, denied Kovac’s future has ever been in question and president Hoeness gave further guarantees as the celebrations continued on Sunday.

“A team wouldn’t be able to play such good football if the understanding with the manager wasn’t good,” Hoeness told reporters.

“These reports [about a potential change] were all fairytales.”

One for the gram #MiaSanMia #DoubleSieger pic.twitter.com/IXakJYrUzN

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 26, 2019

Asked directly whether Kovac will continue in his role, Hoeness responded: “100 per cent, yes.”

Centre-back Boateng’s future at the club is not so assured.

The 30-year-old, who held talks with Paris Saint-Germain last year, watched from the bench against Leipzig as he has done for long periods since the World Cup and could have his stay in Bavaria cut short of a ninth season.

Hoeness said: “As a friend I would advise him to leave the club. He needs a new challenge, he has seemed out of place recently.”

Meanwhile, Bayern have confirmed assistant coach Peter Hermann will not return for a second season under Kovac.

Hermann remained with the Bavarian heavyweights after returning from Fortuna Dusseldorf in October 2017 to serve a second stint as Jupp Heynckes’ lieutenant at the Allianz Arena.