john stones
City defender feels for mate who missed out
Manchester City have supplied more players to this World Cup than any Premier League club.
A whopping 16 of Pep Guardiola’ s allconquering title winners are on their way to Russia. But all the focus last week was on one player who will miss out.
Leroy Sane was sensationally axed from Germany’s 23-man squad by boss Joachim Low.
Sane was named the PFA Young Player of the Year after contributing 10 goals and 15 assists as City racked up 100 points in the league.
The 22-year-old hasn’t quite hit those heights with his national team. But no-one expected him to be spending the summer on the beach, least of all his City teammate, John Stones.
He’s one of four men from the Etihad Stadium in Gareth Southgate’s England squad – along with Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph – and he feels for his German pal.
“Leroy is a world-class player, even though he is so young,” says Stones. “I am so, so gutted for him.
“I know how much this meant to him, and it will have hurt massively.
“In my opinion, it’s a massive blow for Germany to be without a player of his ability.
“Me, Raheem, Kyle and Delphy are all close, and we know it will have hurt Leroy. Now he has a lot of time to think about it before and during the tournament.
“That wouldn’t be good for me if I was in his shoes. But I am sure that, ultimately, he will be fine.
While he is upset for Sane, Stones has his fingers crossed that his City captain, Vincent Kompany, will shrug off a groin injury to take his place in Belgium’s World Cup squad.
If Kompany does make it, that would mean he and Kevin De Bruyne coming up against Stones and Co in the final Group G game on June 28.
“I’m hoping Vinny is fit as soon as possible,” he adds.
“I hope he can enjoy the World Cup and then come back to City in good shape.
“There has been plenty of banter between me and Kevin. We’ve both said how strange it will be after playing with each other all season.
“It will be strange to see him in a different shirt. But if we get the opportunity to play against each other, it will be a good rivalry.”
And as City’s stars attempt to make their mark in Russia, Guardiola will be cheering them on.
Stones says: “I’m sure we will speak to him before the games. He’s always open to a call or text when we are with our international teams.
“It’s great that he’s so open like that. But he might not pick up if we f a c e Sp a i n – and I