Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus: “Real Madrid target Alphonso Davies a shadow of his usual self”

Matthäus believes the Canadian’s dip in form is down to Thomas Tuchel rather than speculation surrounding a move to LaLiga.

Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus admits Real Madrid target Alphonso Davies has suffered an alarming dip in form in recent times but insists manager Thomas Tuchel is to blame rather than transfer speculation.

Speaking to German newspaper Bild, former Germany captain Matthäus revealed his belief Tuchel should have held discussions with the Canadian full-back to get to the bottom of his drop-off, and is of the opinion questions surrounding his future - and a potential move to Spain - aren’t the cause of his under-par performances on the field.

Davies has received criticism in Germany for not agreeing to pen a new deal with Bayern and seemingly trying to force an exit from the club.

“Alphonso Davies is a shadow of usual self, his head is not clear. You also have to put your arm around players from time to time, have a friendly conversation off the field, like Uli Hoeness, Jupp Heynckes, Ottmar Hitzfeld or Udo Lattek used to do,” Matthäus underlined. “The reason for his slump is because of what has happened in the last few months, not the difficult conversations and negotiations the club has had with his representative over the last few weeks.”

Davies suffered knee ligament strain in the Bundesliga win against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 3 February, which caused him to miss four games.

He was forced off after just 18 minutes of his return in the 8-1 thrashing of Mainz on 9 March after a stray boot caught him in the face. His latest comeback saw him play for just over half an hour in Saturday’s home defeat to Borussia Dortmund, which leaves the six-time European champions 13 points behind leaders Bayer