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| Manuel Neuer in Munich for signs with his new team |
Manuel Neuer’s summer switch from Schalke to Bayern was agreed and announced a week ago, and the last piece of the deal bringing the Germany goalkeeper to the nation’s biggest club fell into place late on Wednesday morning: the 25-year-old passed the obligatory medical in Munich, and signed the five-year contract keeping him in Bavaria until 30 June 2016.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge, to my first training sessions, and to the training camp,” Neuer declared in an exclusive FCB.tv interview. The shot-stopper has only previously been to the Bavarian capital as a visitor, “but I’m not a tourist any more. I know my way around Munich and I think I’ll settle down well here.”Following Germany’s 3-1 Euro 2012 qualifying victory away to Azerbaijan, Neuer only arrived back in Frankfurt in the small hours of the morning, but immediately flew on to Munich to complete the formalities of his transfer. “I’m fit enough to get though the day, although I’ve not really had enough sleep,” he reported. The four-hour flight from Baku to Frankfurt arrived at around 5 am local time.
Tired but happy
Despite the fatigue, the new signing appeared in upbeat spirits when he met up with FCB director of sport Christian Nerlinger at club head chef Alfons Schuhbeck’s downtown restaurant. Last week’s announcement of his move to Bayern had been “a relief,” Neuer admitted. “I’m delighted it’s all behind me now.”The Gelsenkirchen-born keeper said no other club had come into consideration, neither in his home country nor abroad. “I’m very happy in Germany, I’m the national team goalkeeper, and Bayern Munich is the best club in Germany. That's why I wanted to join Bayern,” explained Neuer, who is now aiming for “personal success, and success with the club” in the seasons to come.
From: Bayern Munich website
