Manchester City winger Leroy Sane was 'on the verge' of a comeback prior to the Premier League's suspension
Manchester City long-term absentee Leroy Sane has revealed he was "on the verge" of a comeback prior to football’s shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The German winger last played for City’s senior team in their Community Shield victory over Liverpool on the opening day of the season, where he suffered serious knee ligament damage that subsequently kept him out for eight months, a period now set to be extended.
Before the Premier League announced its indefinite suspension, Sane made a confidence-boosting return to the U23 side in a victory against Arsenal.
Sane – speaking to the DFB’s official website – reveals he was on course for a return, one that has now been knocked back.
“After being injured for such a long time I didn’t want to jump straight back in again, but rather take the time that my body needed,” the 24-year-old explained.
“That’s why I suggested that I should play for the youth team first so that I could get used to the speed of the game step by step. Lots of people were surprised but for me it was the logical first step to make; that’s what I planned to do from the start and what I told the coach.
“Overall I felt really good and was on the right track; I was on the verge of making my comeback. I still need one or two competitive games to get back to full fitness so that I can get my confidence back again, which is very important.”
Sane admits that a delay to his return is highly disappointing but recognises that football is not the priority as things stand.
He said: “As I said I was on the verge of making my comeback; I had been working towards that for many months. Nevertheless, I can still continue to do that and I know that there are much worse things. For example, being exposed to the virus.
“Now we can only wait for the situation to relax again. We all have to trust the experts and stay patient. So I’m preparing myself every day for an unknown date.
“With every injury, or preparation, you always have to set yourself a goal. But at the moment unfortunately all we can do it wait and see. Will it continue in May? Or in June? No one can answer that right now.”
Sane – like the rest of the sporting world – remains in the dark as to when his beloved profession will return. He stresses that he’s desperate to get back on the pitch however, even if it means playing behind closed doors.
He said: “You read something different every day and not even the experts agree on this, so it’s difficult for me to make an assessment.
“All I can say is that I really miss football and want to be back on the pitch as soon as possible. We have no choice but to trust the experts and to be ready for when we are told to start again.
“If it does continue then it will probably be behind closed doors, but that would also be fine. It’s important that we find solutions, without taking people’s health lightly. Purely from a sporting point of view, it would of course be the fairest thing to do if the season was still somehow finished.”
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