Sane is aware of the risks and seeks a spot in the German national squad.
Leroy Sané had a challenging season marked by injuries and poor form. At Bayern Munich, he dealt with frequent injuries while dealing with a suspension in the national team. The last trial before the Euro Championship offered him an opportunity to bounce back. With a potential role in the home tournament, things seemed to be looking up.
Before the Euro Championship, Sané sought the advice of world champion coach Gordon Herbert. Musiala, a Bayern star, had mentioned to Sané that Herbert had criticized his shooting technique. However, on the field, Musiala was unmatched. Although he hadn't yet found a stable footing in the national team, there was still hope.
Once his suspension was over, Sané became a prominent fixture in Julian Nagelsmann's plans. Nagelsmann intended to include Sané in the EM warm-up match against Greece taking place in Mönchengladbach on Friday (8:45 p.m./RTL, live updates on ntv.de). He stated, "Leroy is someone we can't overlook," though he didn't guarantee a starting position at the Euro Championship.
The "magic" offensive trio consisting of Ilkay Gündoğan, Jamal Musiala, and Florian Wirtz had already secured their places, leaving Sané with the task of proving his worth. In March, Nagelsmann assigned a specific role to each player. When Sané was sidelined due to a red card against Austria in November, he was described as having "a chance to join a well-functioning group." But there was a catch; he needed to integrate seamlessly with the team.
Sané had played a limited role in the past, with a backlog of persistent thigh issues. From late October to the end of April, he missed half a season without scoring. During that period, the Bayern player suffered from lingering thigh dilemmas.
"I can't tell if it will get better or worse!" Sané shared his concerns in Herzogenaurach. He admitted that he'd developed a better understanding of his injury while admitting he wasn't sure of its prognosis. Currently, he was "coping well," but with reservations. Following Nagelsmann's admission that playing at full capacity for 90 minutes would be difficult, Sané's place in the team became uncertain.
Sané's connection to the German national team was complex. He'd only played a brief role in the 2016 Euro Championship semi-final, and Christoph Daum sent him packing shortly prior to the 2018 World Cup. Only starting against Hungary at the 2021 Euro Championship and against Costa Rica at the 2022 World Cup were the scant highlights in his otherwise limited history. He'd so far accumulated seven appearances totaling 233 minutes with one assist.
Would Nagelsmann help Sané take on a prominent position? "Our relationship is pretty relaxed," Sané said, "we know how to work with each other." Likewise, Sané and Musiala had maintained a strong bond, with Sané asserting, "even with 50 or 20 percent, his talents are crucial." The pair wasn't restricted to the basketball court.
