Forward Sadio Mane returned to full training at Bayern Munich on Sunday, more than three months after sustaining a lower leg injury which made him miss the 2022 World Cup.
“The feeling is simply fantastic,” said the beaming Mane as he entered the pitch for the public session which did not feature the full squad.
The team training has come the day after a 3-2 Bundesliga defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
He later added in an interview with the club website: “The training was super. I feel fantastic and am very happy to be back with the team.
“Football is my life. I missed it a lot. I am looking forward to the fans, football, the atmosphere, scoring goals and winning in the end.”
Mane, 31, had suffered a right fibula injury in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 win in the 2022/2023 German Bundesliga over Werder Bremen on November 8.
He was consequently unable to play for Senegal at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The forward has trained individually for weeks, and the return to team training brings him a big step closer to playing again.
“He is fully fit and has no more problems. In theory he can play again after one week of team training,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said a few days ago.
Mane’s return is good news for Bayern Munich as the crucial weeks of the season have arrived.
The 10-time reigning Bundesliga champions face Union Berlin next weekend in a big league match.
On March 8 comes the return leg of their last-16 tie in the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), after Bayern Munich won the first game 1-0 in France.
dpa/NAN
