Bayern Munich will not use Lewandowski exit as an 'excuse', says manager Nagelsmann

Bayern Munich will not be using Robert Lewandowski's exit as an "excuse", said manager Julian Nagelsmann, as the German champions begin their Bundesliga title defence away to Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday night.

Lewandowski, 34, left Bayern this summer after eight seasons, 13 major trophies, and 344 goals, with the Polish striker joining Barcelona on a three-year deal.

While the exit of a star player could have a potentially detrimental impact, Bayern have moved to replace Lewandowski with Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, signed from Liverpool, while the squad has been further strengthened by the arrivals of Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, highly-rated teenage striker Mathys Tel from Rennes, and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and full-back Noussair Mazraoui, both from Ajax.

"Of course we have let a player goal who scored over 50 goals and that's something we have to compensate for," Nagelsmann told reporters on Thursday. "I believe we have improved our squad and I won't be looking for excuses and blame it on Lewadowski (leaving)."

Nagelsmann, 35, was appointed Bayern manager last summer and led the club to their 10th successive Bundesliga title - his first major honour. However, a quarter-final exit in the Champions League to Villarreal and a shock 5-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in the second round of the German Cup increased the scrutiny on Nagelsmann, although he insisted he does not get affected by external noise.

"The pressure is more something I place on myself," he said. "I don't read that much from the media because I'm not going to be any happier. Of course a lot gets presented. Friends always ask why there is so much pressure from the media, why it's always some sort of apocalypse.

"At Bayern