Kovac patience with Sanches set to reap rewards

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac feels that his own experience of different cultures can help him to nurture Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches.

Published : Sep 19, 2018 16:54 IST

Renato Sanches struggled at Swansea
Renato Sanches struggled at Swansea
lightbox-info

Renato Sanches struggled at Swansea

Niko Kovac hopes to see Renato Sanches flourish under his leadership at Bayern Munich and believes that the youngster's career stalled due to "a social issue" and not "football-specific" matters.

Sanches was an unused substitute for Saturday's 3-1 Bundesliga win over Bayer Leverkusen and could feature against former club Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Portugal international left Benfica as one of the hottest properties in European football two years ago, joining Bayern before starring in his country's triumphant Euro 2016 campaign.

READ: Kovac: Madrid strong without Ronaldo, Messi is the best

But, he failed to make an impression over the course of 17 Bundesliga appearances in 2016-17 before an ill-fated loan switch to Swansea City, which ended with Sanches as a peripheral figure in the club's relegation from the Premier League.

Kovac has regularly spoken of the 21-year-old in glowing terms since being appointed as Jupp Heynckes' successor at the Allianz Arena and feels his talent should not be in doubt.

"I cannot judge the past. I know the facts, but why he came to the problems I cannot say exactly. He is European, but comes from another country. Other countries, other customs, other characteristics. This is not just a football-specific, but rather a social issue," he told Goal .

ALSO READ: Bale poised for part two at Real Madrid without Zidane and Ronaldo

"You have to try to understand other people. You cannot treat a foreigner like a German because he reacts differently to different things. I told Renato that it's not easy to become a Bayern regular. His chance will come."

"He is a young player and does his job really well. Right now, in our personnel situation, the probability is very high that he will play soon."

"He was not dubbed for nothing as one of the world's best of his age. But, you have to give people time and not assume that they work immediately."

ALSO READ: Don't blame Neymar, PSG players all guilty - Thiago Silva

"The young players only have to process the impressions when they come to a foreign country. It is unjust that foreign players are required to explode immediately."

Kovac believes that his own experience as a German-born Croatian can help him to relate to players who have struggled in the manner of Sanches.

"I try to empathise with the players and wonder how to handle a case. You can be emotional [angry] sometimes, but you have to be aware that a statement or criticism has an impact," he said.

ALSO READ: PSG attack lacked aggression, says Tuchel

"As a player and after some time as a coach, I've learned that not all people are the same. When I was a player, I used to always want the coach to treat everyone the same. But, you can forget that."

"I think it benefits me that I have Croatian roots, but grew up in Germany. I have two mentalities inside me and maybe, I can think better of one or the other."

"I've learned a lot from the diversity in Frankfurt, the German and foreign players as well. Diversity makes life interesting."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment