'England, Spain or Portugal' – Sanches wants to leave Bayern

Berlin (AFP) – One-time wonderkid Renato Sanches has repeated his desire to leave Bayern Munich after another year in which he has struggled to break into the first team.

“I have to play more, five minutes are not enough,” said Sanches, 21, after he was substituted onto the field in the 87th minute during Bayern’s 1-0 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday.

“A loan would be an option. I just want to play, whether in England, Spain or Portgual,” he said.

Sanches joined Bayern as a teenager in 2016, just weeks after winning the European Championships with Portugal and being named Young Player of the Tournament.

Bayern paid 35 million euros ($39.3m) for the much-hyped midfielder, but he failed to break into the first team in his first year in Munich. 

An attempt to reboot his career on loan at Swansea City proved disastrous, and Sanches returned to Bayern last summer in the hope that he could make an impact under new coach Niko Kovac. 

Yet after a promising start to the season, Sanches has made only six starts in all competitions this term, and is now openly angling for a move away. 

“I am not happy here, I am working hard but not playing,” he told Kicker magazine last month.

Yet on Saturday, he also insisted that he had no problem with Bayern coach Kovac. 

“I have a normal relationship with Kovac. I respect him, he and my team mates see how hard I work in training,” he said.