He was not selected for Germany’s World Cup squad this summer.
After suffering the heartbreak of missing out on a World Cup despite having a prolific season at Manchester City, Leroy Sane has returned to the national team set-up.
His exclusion from the squad came as a shock to many, although the winger had never been a favourite of Joachim Low. The Germany boss much preferred Julian Brandt and Julian Draxler, who had repeatedly shown that they could be trusted to play on the left wing and carry out Low’s instructions.
But you can only ignore Sane’s talent for so long. He’s now being given another chance to impress the manager, but Toni Kroos has suggested that it’s not his ability that is stopping him from being a key player for Die Mannschaft, but his mentality.
At Germany’s press conference on Wednesday, in the build-up to their UEFA Nations League match against France on Thursday, Kroos said:
“You sometimes get the feeling that it doesn’t matter to him if we win or lose. It’s about showing his qualities. Then he can be an absolute weapon for us.”
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Kroos reiterated that Sane “has got everything to become a world-class player, but sometimes, he needs to be told what to do.
“If he brings all his quality to the pitch, he can help us a lot.”
Kroos has become one of Germany’s key players as he has matured, and more senior players such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm have retired. The Real Madrid midfielder will be even more important to the Germany midfield after Mesut Ozil quit the national team amid a racism storm.
It will also be up to Kroos to adopt the role of outfield captain and guide players like Sane through big games, starting with tomorrow’s tie against the world champions.
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