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Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches eager to repay Niko Kovac’s trust

By Benjamin Scott

KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA - JULY 21: head coach Niko Kovac of FC Bayern Muenchen and Renato Sanches of FC Bayern Muenchen during the AUDI Football Summit match between Bayern Muenchen and Paris St. Germain at Woerthersee Stadion on July 21, 2018 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Josef Bollwein - Sepa Media/Bongarts/Getty Images)
KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA - JULY 21: head coach Niko Kovac of FC Bayern Muenchen and Renato Sanches of FC Bayern Muenchen during the AUDI Football Summit match between Bayern Muenchen and Paris St. Germain at Woerthersee Stadion on July 21, 2018 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Josef Bollwein - Sepa Media/Bongarts/Getty Images) /
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Having returned from an unsuccessful loan spell at Swansea City last season, Renato Sanches hopes to be a big part of Bayern Munich’s success under Niko Kovac.

The past few years have been a rollercoaster of highs and lows for Renato Sanches. After making his debut with Benfica’s senior squad, Sanches became a huge part of their ’15-16 campaign. He helped the Portuguese side win a domestic double before securing a big money move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2016.

That same summer, Sanches played a key role in Portugal’s Euro 2016 victory, becoming one of the youngest players to ever feature in the tournament and nabbing two man of the match awards. He was named the best young player at the tournament, a trophy that superseded his 2016 Golden Boy award.

The following season at Bayern Munich is when things began to take a turn for the worst. The Bavarians appointed Carlo Ancelotti to take over from Pep Guardiola. Sanches found playing time hard to come by under the Italian and failed to impress when his chances came.

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He was then sent on loan to Swansea City for the ’17-18 campaign, where playing time was still a rarity, as were any good performances from the youngster.

Many questioned what Bayern Munich would do with Sanches over the summer. Would they sell him to try and regain some of their transfer spending? Or would they send him on another loan spell, this time to a better-suited team? Neither.

Rather than exiling him yet again, Bayern decided to let Sanches stay and grow under Niko Kovac, who had expressed a desire to work with the Portuguese youngster.

So far, Kovac’s trust in the 21-year-old seems to be paying off. Renato Sanches had an excellent preseason with the Bavarians and is all too eager to prove himself in the Bundesliga. Speaking recently with FCB.tv (via Bundesliga.com), Sanches emphasized his desire to repay Niko Kovac’s trust and show he can be a key player for Bayern Munich.

"“My aim is to play here and stay at Bayern as long as possible. I feel very happy here and it’s an honor for me since Bayern are one of the best clubs in the world – anybody would love to play here and I want to work hard now and give everything I’ve got.“Of course I’m happy with the new coach – it’s a new opportunity for me to show what I can do again. He’s a coach who pushes his players to perform, and that’s something I’m very happy about, because I know I can fulfill the expectations.”"

The 21-year-old also added that he feels strong heading into the new season, making the bold claim that he has “no weaknesses.”

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Maybe that’s a bit bold for someone so young, but it shows something Renato Sanches seems to have been lacking in the past two seasons: confidence. Perhaps the newfound trust he has in Niko Kovac could be exactly what the Golden Boy needed to take his game to the next level.

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