Sane exit hands chance to academy hopefuls

PEP Guardiola has suggested Leroy Sane may not be replaced in the longterm at the Etihad after his move to Bayern Munich.

Difficulties of the transfer market – especially with the impact of Covid-19 – other priorities and the ability and fitness of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden all suggest the Blues won’t look to sign another winger this summer.

Between now and the end of the season, however, the place the 24-year-old occupied in the matchday squad will need filling.

City can name nine substitutes for every game and Sane has taken one of those spots for the last four matches.

Especially with Sergio Aguero missing for so long, Guardiola is not blessed with attacking options.

At Newcastle, Foden and Bernardo Silva were the only players aside from Sane on the bench that could influence the opposition third.

Unless the manager wants an even bigger defensive skew, a number of young attackers have seen their chances of inclusion in the matchday squad increase.

Tommy Doyle and Felix Nmecha have already made their senior debuts and have been training with the first team squad since the group returned in May.

Both are most comfortable in midfield, Nmecha more advanced than Doyle, but would offer an option centrally with plenty of other players capable of moving wide.

Cole Palmer, on the bench at Chelsea, also plays through the middle but offers more of a direct goal threat – he has 15 goals and five assists from 14 Under-18 Premier League games this season. And Jayden Braaf, a winger whose pace and trickery has already brought some comparisons to Sane, has started training with the first team. He may need time to get up to speed, but will be encouraged nevertheless.

Getting minutes in the first team remains fiendishly difficult for any youngster at the club. But with Sane gone and Sergio Aguero sidelined, Guardiola only has 21 fit senior players - three of those are goalkeepers and a further 10 are defensively minded.

City have expected to be without Sane from next season for some time, but his early exit offers opportunities in matchday squads for some young, attacking talent from the academy to offer an option for the manager as well as an extra body.