SHOCK AS SANE MISSES THE CUT

WORLD CUP 2018 City man axed by Germany boss Low

JOACHIM LOW sprang a major surprise yesterday when he left out Manchester City winger Leroy Sane from Germany’s final 23-man World Cup squad.

City team-mate Kyle Walker perhaps best summed up the reaction by posting a picture on Twitter of himself spraying a mouthful of water. ‘When you find out Leroy Sane isn’t going to the World Cup,’ he wrote.

Sane enjoyed an instrumental campaign as City romped to the English Premier League title and won the League Cup, scoring 14 goals with 19 assists.

The 22-year-old was the obvious choice to be named PFA Young Player of the Year after emerging as one of Pep Guardiola’s most lethal attacking weapons.

But while his omission prompted widespread shock yesterday, Low’s track record suggests that he knows what he is doing. After all, he guided Germany to third place in 2010 then World Cup victory four years later.

Julian Draxler and Thomas Muller were there as the Germans savoured glory in Brazil, and Marco Reus only missed out through injury. All three were guaranteed to go this time, leaving one more space out wide. Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt was selected in Sane’s space as Low cut his provisional squad by four.

‘That was a very close decision, which was made in favour of Brandt,’ explained Low. ‘If it was a 100metres race, it would have been a photo-finish.

‘You have to look at the big picture, so we have have a variable and well-balanced team prepared for all eventualities. Draxler, Reus and Muller are set.

‘Both Sane and Brandt have big qualities. Both are good in the one-on-one duels. Brandt was at the Confederations Cup, had some strong games there and put in good shifts in the training camp, too.

‘Sane is a huge talent, no doubt, and he will be back with the team in September. He had not arrived in international matches yet. Maybe that tipped the balance.’

Sane, who played in six of Germany’s last seven games, has scored once in 12 appearances for his country — although his performance in last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Austria was somewhat underwhelming.

He also elected to miss last year’s Confederations Cup to have an operation on his nose, a decision which did not enthuse German boss Low.