1 week ago
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Harry Kane has played down concerns over the language barrier between Luis Diaz and his new Bayern Munich teammates following his transfer from Liverpool.
Diaz’s move to Germany was confirmed last week, with the Reds agreeing to an $87 million deal with the Bundesliga giant after the winger had made his desire to leave Anfield clear.
The 28-year-old was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday before going on to play his first game for his new club on Saturday, with Diaz coming off the bench to play the second half of Bayern’s 2-1 pre-season win over French side Lyon.
There have been some concerns expressed though over how Diaz will communicate with his new teammates, with the majority of Bayern’s squad made up of German players.
Diaz rarely gave interviews with English outlets during his time at Liverpool, with the Colombian having been helped to settle in on Merseyside in 2022 by the various Spanish speakers at the club.
He continued to develop a strong bond with the Reds’ other South American stars, including Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez, but he doesn’t have that luxury in Munich.
Diaz was seen spending a lot of his time in his first training session in Germany with Joao Palhinha, with the Portuguese international also able to speak Spanish. The midfielder though looks set to complete a move to Tottenham soon, raising concerns that the former Liverpool star could be left without a translator.
England captain Kane though has played down those concerns, insisting that Diaz has been able to communicate with his new teammates without many problems.
"His English is okay, obviously there's not many players in the team who talk Spanish,” Kane told Sky Sports Germany.
"But honestly, his English isn't too bad and he can communicate well with the team.
"Hopefully, his English and maybe his German picks up from some and some of the others players can talk to him.
"But with the coach [Vincent Kompany] talking English a lot of the time, I don't think he has a problem."
Diaz won’t have to wait too long for his first competitive game with Bayern. The German champions play two more friendlies against Spurs and Swiss club Grasshoppers before facing Stuttgart in the DFL-Supercup on August 16, with the Bundesliga season getting underway on August 22 against RB Leipzig.
“I'm very happy to be here in Munich at this great club,” Diaz said at his press conference on Thursday. “My first impressions were very good. I've not had much time yet but I've been welcomed very warmly and look forward to getting to know everyone.
"I wanted to join FC Bayern because the club's aims are in line with mine and I wanted to move to a big team - the club has incredible history. We want to win everything. My aim is to help the club and have success as quickly as possible."
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