Renato Sanches hopes his personal renaissance amid Bayern Munich s flagging form leads to more regular playing time.
Niko Kovac s arrival at Allianz Arena has coincided with a spike in Sanches fortunes following a frustrating postscript to his eye-catching Euro 2016 performances.
The Portugal midfielder struggled to settle in his first season in Germany and fared no better during a loan spell at Swansea City that ended in relegation from the Premier League.
New Bayern boss Kovac wiped the slate clean and, after two Bundesliga starts and a goal in the Champions League, the 21-year-old now wants a greater slice of the action.
The relationship with the coach is very good, Sanches told Bild.
Sure, I d like to play more. We have a lot of internationals in our team and the coach has to rotate.
But I would like to have more minutes.
Goal for Portugal! Who else but with the assist
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN)
Sanches appeared off the bench in the recent 3-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach which extended the champions winless run to four matches in all competitions.
Rumours of dressing-room unrest have emerged alongside criticism of Kovac s persistent tinkering with his starting XI.
However, Benfica product Sanches insists the mood within the team is nothing out of the ordinary.
It s clear that we always feel pressure, he said. We always have to do our best and represent the best club in Germany.
It s normal that there are discussions [if matches are lost]. That s part of the business and no problem at all.
