Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The Kyle high club
WALKER TAKES CITY TO NEW HEIGHTS, AS GUARDIOLA DENIES SANE BUST-UP
KYLE WALKER was Manchester City’s unlikely hero as Leroy Sane’s future was thrown into doubt by Pep Guardiola’s shock decision to axe him from the matchday squad.
Walker scored his first goal for City to clinch a narrow victory over
Newcastle at the Etihad on the 10th anniversary of
Sheikh Mansour taking over the Premier League club.
But glum-faced Germany star Sane (right, top) was forced to watch from the stands as boss Guardiola
(right, bottom) could not even find a place for him among the substitutes.
Sane, the current PFA
Young Player of the Year, had been on the bench for City’s first three Premier League fixtures, but found himself
completely frozen out for the fourth.
A defensive Guardiola insisted he has not fallen out with Sane, saying: “We have six strikers. Last time, Phil Foden was not in the squad I was sad to leave him out as I never see him training bad.
“There were no injuries. We have a big squad and today it was Leroy maybe next day, it will be another one.
“I am happy with his attitude.”
But after being overlooked for Germany’s World Cup campaign in Russia, this is another blow for the 22-year-old who took the Premier League by storm last season.
With Sane looking on, Walker struck the winner from long range early in the second half after DeAndre Yedlin had cancelled out Raheem Sterling’s early breakthrough.
On an afternoon when Vincent Kompany (above) was honoured for 10 years service, it lifted City to third in the table. Newcastle stay in the bottom three.
Toon boss Rafa Benitez said: “To stay in the game for so long and have a couple of chances at the end is good, so in terms of mentality it is positive.
“It will be tough and difficult to survive, but we want to be competitive.
“We were close to getting something and that has to be good for the future and team spirit. I am really proud of my players.”