Manchester City winger Leroy Sane is finally finding his feet at the club following his transfer last summer from Schalke. Part of the City squad in Abu Dhabi this week for a short, warm-weather training camp, the German spoke to the media at Emirates Palace hotel.
Settling into new surroundings
In August, Sane joined City from the Bundesliga for an initial £37 million (Dh169.3m). He had a recent spell out injured, but returned to score in last month's 2-2 draw with Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium. He has since netted twice more, including the fifth in Tuesday night's remarkable 5-3 victory at home to Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie — a match in which Sane, 21, starred.
On Tuesday’s thriller at the Etihad
“It was definitely one of the best matches during my time at Manchester City and in my career as well, so hopefully there’s more to come,” Sane said, while also casting his mind towards the second leg on March 15. “Of course, Monaco are a very strong team. We’ll try to go through different strategies and see what’s best to make the same outcome as the first leg.”
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On working with Pep Guardiola
“I had to go step-by-step to get used to the training and to the system the manager uses, and I hope to learn more from the team and from him,” Sane said. “Of course, the training is very intense, but he gives us a little bit of freedom because there’s a lot of training and a lot of games. Also, in the meetings we have, we have to be very focused because he talks a lot about strategy and tactics and that’s mentally very challenging.”
On finally feeling ‘at home’
Despite his tender years, Sane arrived at City with huge expectation, as reflected in his price tag. However, it took the Germany international some time to show City supporters why the club had placed such faith in him. Intriguingly, he cites December’s 3-1 defeat to Premier League leaders Chelsea as the moment he felt he had arrived. “The turning point was the game against Chelsea,” Sane said. “Then I had the feeling that I was at home and was comfortable in the team.”
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