SAD END IF IT’S LAST WE SEE OF SANE IN CITY SHIRT

MUCH has happened in Leroy Sane’s career in the seven months since he fired the defining goal in last season’s Premier League and, sadly for the Manchester City winger, not all of it good.

Sane may have done his bit to clinch a domestic Treble, not least in the 72nd minute of a seismic clash at the Etihad to give City a 2-1 win over Liverpool that proved the difference when the teams finished one point apart in May.

But it came against a backdrop of discord between the 23-year-old and manager Pep Guardiola that could lead to Sane’s exit this month if Bayern Munich are prepared to pay the £135million City are demanding. Guardiola was unhappy with the player’s attitude in training, and we saw less of the jet-heeled German.

Sane is now reluctant to extend a contract that has two years left to run and Bayern have made plenty of noise about taking the former Schalke winger back to the Bundesliga — much to City’s annoyance.

The last thing anyone wanted to see, however, was Sane hobbling off the pitch at Wembley with an injury that ended his participation in yesterday’s Community Shield and another enthralling battle with Liverpool.

It remains to be seen how serious the damage is to his right knee, and whether it could have any effect on Bayern’s willingness to make an offer before the end of the month. But if this is the last we see of Sane in a City shirt, it would be a sad way for it all to end.

He tried to join in the celebrations after his team’s victory in a penalty shootout, but was clearly in discomfort. Guardiola broke away from the rest of the group to give him a reassuring hug.

‘He was injured. He was scared, and I was concerned about his injury. You believe I have a problem with him?’ said Guardiola, detecting an undertone in the question.

Sane (below) had already fired into the side-netting when he went down under a challenge from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the eighth minute.

It soon became clear that treatment was having little effect and Gabriel Jesus was ordered to warm up. Sane was off the pitch but his replacement had not made it on when City scored from the free-kick awarded for the foul on him, Raheem Sterling’s effort finding its way through the legs of Alisson.

For a long time, it looked like it would be enough to give City victory in a contest that rekindled the rivalry between the two clubs. Guardiola was booked for remonstrating with fourth official Stuart Attwell over Joe Gomez’s challenge on David Silva and City’s celebrations at the end showed this was more than a token victory. Once again, there was little to choose between them and Liverpool. Once again, the outcome was decided by the finest of margins. In January, Sane scored with a low shot that fizzed in off the post and altered the course of the title race, but not before John Stones dramatically cleared off the line after Sadio Mane hit the woodwork for Liverpool. Here, it was Kyle Walker’s turn to produce a clearance every bit as good when he hacked clear from under the bar in added-time after Mohamed Salah headed towards an empty goal.

Salah also hit the post and Virgil van Dijk saw a first-time effort strike the underside of the bar and bounce back on to the line before Joel Matip’s equaliser took the game to penalties.

City prevailed again but Guardiola will be concerned at the number of chances Liverpool created. Defensively, the Premier League champions looked fragile in the absence of Aymeric Laporte. In attack, they did not create too much after the goal except when Sterling was sent clear and somehow ran the ball straight into the hands of Alisson.

But City still won and we have seen enough of this team to know they will set the standard again this season.

Will Sane be part of it? Who knows? But he limped away from Wembley last night, more uncertain than ever of what the future holds for him.