MUNICH, Germany — Joshua Kimmich says Bayern Munich cannot let uncertainty surrounding the club’s next manager affect their bid to get past Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.
Thomas Tuchel is set to leave the post at the end of the season, though a petition created by fans for the 2021 Champions League winner to stay has reached nearly 18,000 signatures.
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Bayern have made former Manchester United caretaker Ralf Rangnick their top choice to replace him, but ahead of the semifinal first leg in Munich on Tuesday, Kimmich has warned against letting the speculation become a distraction.
“We heard about it but for players it doesn’t concern us,” Kimmich told a news conference on Monday.
“It’s all about tomorrow and next week [in Madrid] so we don’t really let anything in. We focus and concentrate on what we want to do. Focus on that and everything else we can’t have an influence on.”