'I was very sorry' - Bayern president Hoeness regrets foul-mouthed Bernat rant

Uli Hoeness has apologised for his scathing verbal attack on the former Bavarian left-back and wishes he could retract his unsavoury comments

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has said sorry to Paris Saint Germain defender Juan Bernat, a month after criticising the Spaniard publicly.

The 25-year-old joined the French champions during the summer transfer window on a three-year contract, bringing to an end his four-year spell in Germany.

The diminutive full-back failed to establish himself as a first-team regular during his time at Bayern, making 111 appearances for the club in total and moved to Paris in search of regular first-team action.

After a difficult start to the 2018-19 campaign, Hoeness responded angrily to suggestions in the media that the club failed to sign adequate cover for the injured David Alaba , telling reporters: "When we played in Seville, [Bernat] was the only reason that we were close to being eliminated, that same day we decided that we would sell him for his s**t play.

"Bayern's luck and fortune does not depend on whether Bernat plays at Bayern."

However, the Bayern chief has now expressed remorse following his profane comments and issued an apology to Bernat in a mixed zone interview.

"Essentially, I would do the press conference again," Hoeness said. "The statement I made, I would not do so again. I was very sorry to have insulted Juan Bernat. But the media, which we have met with our criticism, already know."

The German champions were in action in the Champions League on Wednesday night against AEK Athens and they managed to pick up a 2-0 victory at the Allianz Arena , with Hoeness insisting that the team is improving gradually.

"It has become clear that the team was rather unsure in the first half," he continued. "We played very cautiously and did not get the tempo on the pitch. But with increasing playing time, the team has become more confident and has made a very decent game.

"We have not played well in the last few weeks, as you get pulled down more and more with every bad game. Even experienced players are obviously influenced by it."

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Next up for Bayern is a huge Bundesliga clash away against league leaders Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening.