"He could play on a par with Messi": Former Bundesliga coach still expects Leroy Sane to be dropped by Germany under Jürgen Klopp
Former Bundesliga coach Peter Neururer expects Leroy Sane's time with the Germany national team to be over.
The 71-year-old expects Sane to miss out when new national coach Jürgen Klopp names his first Germany squad for the upcoming Nations League matches on 17 September.
Speaking to Sport1, Neururer said: "Kloppo will go by the performance principle. I love this player, this type of player. He could play on the same level as Messi. But when was the last time he showed that?"
Sane has had enough time and enough chances, he stressed. "I don’t think that at Galatasaray he is capable of producing consistently good performances for Jürgen Klopp to call on him. The time has unfortunately run out and I don’t think he will come back," Neururer said.
That prediction has a sharp edge right now. At the Turkish champions, Sane has lost his regular place on the right wing, and this is also said to have led to unrest in recent days.
Since making his debut in autumn 2015, Sane’s Germany career has been a rollercoaster. The 30-year-old has won 80 caps and scored 18 goals. Under Klopp’s predecessor Julian Nagelsmann, Sane was left out at one stage before the former coach brought him back and made him a regular starter at the botched World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Like many other German players, though, Sane disappointed at the finals, which ended in an embarrassing round-of-32 exit against Paraguay.
Peter Neururer sees a DFB future for Leon Goretzka
Neururer is far less doubtful about Sane’s former Bayern team-mate Leon Goretzka and believes his Germany career will continue. The 31-year-old barely featured at the World Cup and later made headlines because of his alleged isolation from the team and ducking responsibility in the penalty shootout against Paraguay.
Even so, Neururer believes the central midfielder can shine after his free transfer to Aston Villa in the Premier League. At Bayern, Goretzka ultimately "only played sporadically", but: "I am convinced that if Leon stays healthy, he will produce his performances at Aston Villa. That level he is capable of producing should be enough for him to come back again (into the national team; editor’s note)."
