I Don't Understand Mane's Role at Bayern - Lahm

Former Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm questioned Sadio Mane’s role at the Bundesliga giants.

WHAT HAPPENED? Mane – who left Liverpool in the summer after he scored 120 goals in 269 appearances - started brightly for Bayer Munich as he scored in four straight games at the beginning of the season.

However, he is yet to find the back of the net for the Bavarians in their last six matches. The former Southampton forward has scored five goals in 11 matches in all competitions, but only three have come in the Bundesliga.

He has been mostly utilized as a centre-forward and at times on the left wing, and Lahm questions these positional changes for Mane.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID: "Mane’s qualities are out of question," Lahm said, as quoted by Liverpool Echo. "But it’s crucial that roles must be clearly assigned.

"I don’t see that at the moment. I currently don’t understand how the roles are defined. Everyone has to know what they have to do on the pitch."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: In Bayern Munich’s 4-2-3-1 formation, Mane has mostly operated as a centre-forward and the only time he was not deployed as such was during the Uefa Champions League match against Barcelona.

Then he took up a left-sided role, which he played most of the time when he was at Liverpool.

Mane’s recent struggles in Germany are a general reflection of the club; Bayern have now gone four matches without a win in the Bundesliga.

Lahm’s concerns come after Dietmar Hamann claimed Mane has not been integrated at Bayern.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR MANE: Currently, he is with Senegal during the Fifa international break friendlies. He scored - his 34th goal for his country and his first goal since August - as Teranga Lions defeated Bolivia 2-0 in their first friendly.

They are set to face Iran on Tuesday in another pre-World Cup test match. Thereafter, the reigning Men’s Caf Player of the Year will return to Bayern Munich and focus on club duties.