Nagelsmann: Mane could be fit to play PSG in Champions League second leg

Julian Nagelsmann expects to be without Sadio Mane for the first leg of Bayern Munich’s Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain but says there is a chance he could feature in the second.

Mane was ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a fibula injury in November.

The Senegal forward, who joined Bundesliga champions Bayern from Liverpool last June, underwent surgery and is on the road to recovery.

Bayern head coach Nagelsmann does not envisage Mane playing a part in the clash against PSG at the Parc des Princes on February 14.

However, if Mane does not suffer any setbacks, Nagelsmann hopes he may be able to call upon the 30-year-old for the showdown with the Ligue 1 champions at the Allianz Arena on March 8.

Nagelsmann said during a press conference in Doha on Thursday: “He’s [Mane] an important player. If everything goes well, then it could be the case that he returns in time for PSG.

“We will see how he reacts to the workload. Personally, I’m not yet considering him for the first leg.”

Bayern will face Salzburg on Friday in a friendly before resuming the Bundesliga season with a trip to RB Leipzig next Friday.

Matthijs de Ligt will not face the Austrian side due to an ankle injury, but new signing Daley Blind will be included after joining the Bavarian giants following his release by Ajax.

Nagelsmann said of the Netherlands full-back: “He will play tomorrow. He still needs some time, because the intensity in training is a bit higher.

“You can tell that he has a lot of experience and he looks confident on the ball. He will be the player that we imagined he’d be.”

First week at #FCBayern done and @BlindDaley is very happy to be here #FCBayernWTC #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/y0ehLIfPbm

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) January 12, 2023