Bayern Munich: Renato Sanches and the case for optimism

Bayern Munich are ready to give Renato Sanches one final chance to prove himself under Niko Kovac, and fans should be optimistic.

Renato Sanches burst on to the global scene when he won the 2016 Euros, earning the Young Player of the Tournament award in the process. Carlo Ancelotti and Bayern Munich swooped in and brought the Portuguese to Munich, in a move that was exciting for fans of the Bavarian giants. Sanches had shown himself to be mature beyond his years on the pitch, playing calm, collected soccer on some of the biggest stages for both Portugal and Benfica.

Things hit a snag, however. In 2017, he went on loan to Swansea City in the English Premier League, where he struggled for playing time and now finds himself among the names listed as poor transfer business. Can the 21-year-old regain the form that made him a rising star in both club and international soccer? Or is his time at Bayern going to go down as a side note for his career?

Overwhelming expectations

To some degree, the expectations for players — especially young players — that come to Bayern should always be tempered by the fact that younger players are extremely volatile in their development. No one should expect a 19-year-old kid to come into a side like Die Roten and play like they did in a weaker league than the Bundesliga. The talent surrounding them is certainly better, but that easily can result in an awestruck youngster so eager to impress that he does too much and tries too hard.

The language barrier is significant, as well. Coming from Portugal to Germany is a drastic change in language and culture that should not be overlooked when it comes to evaluating Sanches’ time at Bayern. For Sanches to have been born, raised and developed in Portugal, then sign with the Bavarians must have been a major culture shock. This is especially true for a 19-year-old who is trying to break into the first team at a top five club in the world.

Enough excuses, though. We can understand what might make thriving at Bayern difficult, but what of Sanches going forward?

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A case for optimism

One reason to be optimistic about a Renato Sanches turn-around is statistics. The player has never been a major goal scorer or assist machine. Since starting his senior professional career in 2014 for Benfica B, Sanches has a total of six goals and seven assists in 123 appearances for club and country. That part of his game has simply not developed at this point in time, though I believe it will come.

He is a strong, composed, versatile midfielder with great ability and vision for making passes. These are the qualities that made him stand out in Euro 2016 and in the midfield at Benfica. These are qualities that made Clarence Seedorf, a player to whom Sanches compares himself, one of the best midfielders of his generation. If Sanches is anything like Seedorf, Bayern have a gem on their hands. One that just needs a little polish.

Sanches can continue to develop into an extremely valuable player for Bayern because of the versatility he displays. Being able to play in several areas of the midfield, from attacking to box-to-box roles, can be huge for a Bayern team that has struggled with depth toward the end of the past few seasons. In time, that type of player can be a major leader for a squad as a calming force in the center of the pitch and one that provides the intensity that can set the tone of every match.

To be sure, other players in the Bayern system could provide that tone-setting ability as well, but it would be foolish to give up on a player that has shown that kind of potential at the age of (almost) 21. The key is getting him back on track.

Niko Kovac’s tall task

To that end, new boss Niko Kovac is on record saying he still believes the young Portuguese has a future at Bayern Munich.  “He is a young player and young players fluctuate now and again, that is completely normal,” the Croatian explained. He further added: “On the other hand he is from another country, so you have to understand if he doesn’t integrate in no time at all.”

He went on to say he plans to try his best to make the player feel comfortable and place him in the best position to succeed. It seems Kovac has been doing well in his stated goal. Reports from sources such as Bild have noted Sanches looking like a much more motivated player under the new manager.

At the very least, fans should hope to see Sanches get loaned to a good Bundesliga side. If he can’t be a regular at Bayern, he needs to be a regular somewhere else in the German first division, rather than England. This would benefit him by both acclimating him to the German game and culture and allowing him the playing time he needs to blossom.

In a best case scenario, though, Sanches can find his way on to the first team as a frequent substitute and develop his game right where we hope he will eventually thrive, in Munich. It will be something to keep an eye on as pre-season training and friendlies occur.

Next: A way too early prediction of Germany's 2020 squad

The summer of Niko Kovac brings with it the summer of excited anticipation for what he may do with the squad, particularly in style of play and tactics. What happens with Renato Sanches should also be near the front of everyone’s minds, however. If we start to see the player Bayern thought they were buying, then the optimism surrounding this club should skyrocket. The Bavarians should be looking to trend younger and faster, and Sanches can be a key part in that transformation.