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Manchester City winger Leroy Sane has been out of footballing action since August as he is still nursing a long-term knee injury suffered in the Community Shield against Liverpool. However, the German international has not been out of the news, with reports each day speculating his rumoured move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians were keen to land Sane in the summer, however, his injury forced them to postpone their approach. The 24-year-old attacker has been a stand-out performer for Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola since his arrival in 2016 for a reported initial fee of £37 million.
After a slow start, Sane formed an excellent relationship with his right-wing counterpart Raheem Sterling and forward Sergio Aguero, winning the Young Player of the Year award for the 2017/18 season and played a significant part in the back-to-back league triumphs and domestic cup successes. At just 24, Sane is already considered world-class by many and is touted to be one of the best players in the world in his position.
However, rumours of a rift with Guardiola and an urge to return to his home country Germany has ignited his potential interest to join the European heavyweights. Recent reports have stated that Sane is considering an extended stay at the Etihad Stadium but tabloids in Munich have crushed that talk. As things stand, it looks like Leroy Sane will eventually join Bayern in the summer, and City fans will be able to see the last of him as he faces a countdown to return to full fitness for the Blues’ Champions League Round of 16 clash with Real Madrid. But as we all know, in football, things can change very quickly.
In this section, we discuss Leroy Sane’s potential successors who could spark Manchester City back to life next season.
Kingsley Coman
If at the age of 22, one has already played for Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and now Bayern Munich, it’s difficult to not consider their talents. However, Kingsley Coman hasn't been able to take off as of yet because of the multiple long-term injuries which have halted his young career.
Supremely talented and a superstar-in-the-making, the French winger has often showcased his immense ability in bits and parts for both Juventus and Bayern. In 2015, he came runner-up only to compatriot Anthony Martial for the annual Golden Boy award which is given to the best European player under the age of 21. He scored his first Bayern goal at the tender age of 18, but has never been a prolific goalscorer for the club.
His best numbers came in the 2017/18 season when he managed to rack up seven goals and eight assists in 32 games before another injury marred his season. It was reported back in November that Manchester City could be looking at the pacy wide-man as a potential Leroy Sane replacement.
Given his injury record, Bayern Munich would probably not mind including him in a deal involving the German international. And Guardiola, who has worked with him before at the Allianz Arena, would welcome the man he once called a "rare" talent.
“But it is madness how fast Kingsley has integrated at Bayern. It is clear that he has a lot of potential. He has rare dribbling skills that you do not see very often,” the Catalan once said of the Frenchman.
Even Coman, in an interview, stated how Guardiola made his life much easier at Bayern, and that it was tough for him to thrive following the Catalan’s departure. It could definitely be a match made in heaven.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Real Sociedad winger Mikel Oyarzabal is highly-rated in Spain after what has been a productive couple of years for the Spaniard. In the 2017/18 season, Oyarzabal scored 12 goals and provided 5 assists in the league and had similar statistics of 13 goals and 2 assists in the following season. But he has started this season with even more intent, with the 22-year-old already racking up 7 goals and 4 assists in 19 La Liga appearances.
Though not a like-for-like replacement for Leroy Sane due to his lack of pace and agility, Mikel Oyarzabal is a textbook Guardiola midfielder: technically-gifted, extremely creative and an immaculate passer of the ball. What he does bring on the table is goals, assists and a lot of chances for the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus to pounce on.
At just 22, Oyarzabal is a player for the present and the foreseeable future. And with reports stating that Pep Guardiola will complete his contract at the Etihad which expires in 2021, the £67m-rated Spain international might go up by a level or two under the Catalan.
Jayden Braaf
17-year-old Jayden Braaf is currently the poster boy of Manchester City’s youth team and is predicted to have a huge career in front of him. The pacy winger has turned heads in the Champions’ Academy Stadium after his electric performances, gaining significant traction from current Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig in the process.
The Manchester City hierarchy is tracking the teenager’s progress, and if his consistency grows, he might as well break into the first team. City fans are really excited to know the Dutchman’s future at the club, and are calling out for him to take up Leroy Sane’s place if he leaves. But they already fear that Braaf could do a “Jadon Sancho” who left the club to join Borussia Dortmund due to lack of first-team action. The domestic treble-winners have been under constant scrutiny for their lucrative transfer market deals, but an academy graduate breaking into Guardiola’s stellar set-up would silence the critics.
Youngsters like Phil Foden, Eric Garcia and Taylor Harwood-Bellis have already tasted first-team minutes this season, with Foden touted to be David Silva’s heir on the left-side of midfield. Braaf is yet to showcase his ability at the top-level, but his talent and world-class potential might prevent Manchester City from selling him prematurely.
Kylian Mbappe
If you ask Manchester City fans about their dream attacking signing, it has to be Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe. The 20-year-old forward still looms large in their recent memory after he terrorised Pep Guardiola’s defence in the Round-of-16 of the 2016/17 Champions League season.
Mbappe might be one of the best players in the world right now, and given his age, he is destined to be a Ballon d’Or winner at some point in his already illustrious career. In what was a scintillating 2018/19 season for the World Cup winner, Mbappe scored 33 goals and 7 goals in 29 Ligue 1 appearances alongside 4 goals in 8 Champions League games. He has since then continued his form despite a few injury niggles, racking up 17 goal contributions in 14 matches and 5 goals in 5 Champions League outings this season.
Mbappe has formed a formidable partnership with Neymar at the heart of the Paris Saint-Germain attack, with the duo causing havoc for Ligue 1 defences. Real Madrid and Liverpool have both been keen admirers of the forward, as are the rest of the European clubs, however, given Leroy Sane’s departure and Pep Guardiola’s influence, City could well and truly break the bank for Kylian Mbappe.
Jadon Sancho
Former Manchester City winger Jadon Sancho will perhaps be the most apt replacement for Leroy Sane next season. The Borussia Dortmund star has been prolific in the Bundesliga following his departure from England in 2017, coming into his own in the last couple of seasons or so. The 19-year-old high-flyer racked up 12 goals and 14 assists last season and is currently in red-hot form with 9 goals and 9 assists already in 15 games this season.
Sancho was obviously highly-rated during his spell at the City academy but never broke into the first team. This was perhaps the main reason why the Englishman lost patience and packed his bags for Germany. The rumoured rift with the City hierarchy might be a huge obstacle in bringing back Sancho to the Etihad, but if the club are willing to pay his reported £120m asking price, he could very well return to the blue half of Manchester.
Sancho has also been linked with City’s league rivals Chelsea which might be another tempting prospect for the English international given the Blues’ squad of budding superstars. However, Frank Lampard’s men need to secure a Champions League place to attract any talented prospects like Jadon Sancho. Given that City have now established itself among the European elite, Sancho could be tempted to play alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero.
