After a summer-long flirtation with German champions Bayern Munich, Manchester City forward Leroy Sané‘s devastating knee injury has thrown another wrench into his future.
Leroy Sané’s future at Manchester City has been one of the most hotly debated topics of the entire summer. After appearing to fall out of manager Pep Guardiola’s favor last season but still managing stunning displays of brilliance off the bench, Bayern Munich even publicly announced their desire to bring Sané, whom they described as a ‘dream signing’, to the club.
However, the German seemed noncommittal with regards to his future throughout the summer, with Guardiola stating that a potential extension that would tie Sané’s future to the Etihad coming close but ultimately hitting a stumbling block.
Moreover, the City boss insisted that should Sané approach the club with a clear desire for a new challenge, he would honor the request, which never occurred. In addition, following the summer signings of Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard for over a combined £107 million, meeting the Blues’ reported £130 million valuation would have proven extremely difficult.
Although it looked likely that the German forward would remain at City at least until January following the close of the Premier League’s transfer window, the entire situation grew even more complicated following Sané’s injury against Liverpool in his side’s Community Shield victory.
It was later revealed that there was damage to ligaments in his knee and that it would require surgery. When asked about the extent of the injury and the recovery time required for surgery, Guardiola gave the first clear timetable regarding the German winger.
"“…I don’t know. Normally this kind of injury, I don’t know – six or seven months? Hopefully February or March,” Guardiola said. “He’s still young, I hope he comes back quickly. He’s in the best possible hands as far as the operation goes next week.”"
With a serious injury layoff, the 23-year old’s future appears to be in doubt. While City appear keen to keep the player in their long-term plans, Bayern appear to have found an alternative solution, at least for the near future.
Bayern announced the singing of Inter Milan attacking midfielder Ivan Perišić on loan for an inital £4.6 million fee, with an option to buy at the end of the season for an additional £18.5 million.
While Bayern can easily decline the 30-year old Croatian’s option to make the deal permanent and resume their interest in Sané next summer, they will be taking a significant risk by paying top dollar for a player coming off a serious injury who depends on pace and dribbling ability.
City have yet to convince the winger to commit his long-term future to the club, but they now hold a serious edge over the Bavarians in that they will be working with the player throughout his surgery and rehabilitation process.
While no one can say for certain what the future holds for Sané, he remains a Manchester City player that will be dearly missed throughout the campaign as the Citizens compete on four fronts once again. A fantastic talent with blistering pace, incredible skill, and an eye for goal, his skill merits starting each and every week for the Blues when he is healthy.
Although his ultimate destiny may remain murky, the fact that he has the club’s backing in the recovery process as he attempts to come back better than ever leads me to believe that when he is back to full fitness, he will honor City’s commitment to him and extend his stay in Manchester.