The Germany international has suffered knee ligament damage and, having been heavily linked with Bayern Munich, will be going nowhere any time soon
Pep Guardiola is expecting Leroy Sane to be sidelined for up to seven months with knee ligament damage and has refuted claims that the winger was looking for a move away from Manchester City.
As the transfer deadline for Premier League clubs drew ever closer, a switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich was mooted for the Germany international.
Those in Bavaria openly admitted that he would be happy to take the 23-year-old back to his homeland, but discussions never got very far.
That is because City were reluctant to part with a player of considerable potential and saw him pick up an untimely injury which brought any exit talk to a close.
Sane was laid low during a Community Shield clash with Liverpool and is likely to be out of action until well into 2020.
Asked for an update on the highly-rated forward’s condition and when he could come back into contention, Guardiola told reporters: “I don’t know. Normally these kind of injuries, six to seven months.
“Hopefully in February or March he can come back with us.”
Guardiola added when quizzed on the Bayern speculation: “I didn’t think he was leaving. He didn’t tell me he wanted to leave, he played the pre-season.
“Unfortunately it’s incredibly bad news because in three seasons we have had three ACLs.
“He’s a young player, hopefully he will recover well. He is in the best hands possible. All the people here are going to try to help him in the tough moment because he will feel alone after a few months.”
City have already confirmed that Sane is due to go under the knife as he prepares to set out on the long road to recovery.
They said in a statement released on Thursday: “He has undergone testing throughout the week, with a specialist doctor travelling to Manchester for further examinations to understand the extent of the injury.
“Leroy will have surgery in the coming week. Manchester City will provide Leroy with all the support and guidance he needs, and everyone connected with the club wishes him a quick and full recovery.”
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