By Ewah Chika.

It is not often that we see a player at a young age of 20, make more than 40 Bundesliga appearances for a top club like Schalke 04 which is the third biggest and richest German club after rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, but that is exactly the sort of stat that former Schalke 04 youngster Leroy Sane can boast of.

Already a German international having made the final 23 man squad to the Euro's in France though he did not see game time in the competition with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich and Andre Schurlle all ranked ahead of him, Sane is the most rated German young player in the Bundesliga together with Bayern Munich's Josh Kimmich at the moment . This is the reason it wasn't surprising that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have pursued him all summer and finally signed him for £37 million on Tuesday. Under Guardiola, Sane is expected to make the attacking right forward his position judging from the records of the Spaniard coach who has not only improved left-attacking forwards who play in the right side of attack but also made then flourish and become world beaters with the likes of Lionel Messi in Barcelona and Arjen Robben in Bayern Munich. Guardiola isn't a defensive minded coach but rather one who priorities attack over defence and as such one that will improve the German. Sane made his breakthrough in the 2014/2015 season under Roberto Di Matteo scoring a curling beautiful goal in the Champions League second round against Real Madrid in The Santiago Bernebeu and also providing an assist as Schalke ran out 3-2 winners on the night though they German club were eliminated on aggregate. Sane's pace, trickery and dribbling ability sets him apart from the rest as he easily glides and passes defenders like a ghost reminiscent of the likes of Robben and Messi. The attacking midfielder is a son of a former German rhythmic gymnast champion Regina Weber and also a former Senegalese international footballer Souleymane Sane.

Sane's ball control is top notch, coupled with his passing and shooting which has enabled him play on the right side of midfield or attack despite his left foot, allowing him to cut inside and shoot or create chances for teammates. Manchester City presently possesses the deadliest attack in the Premiership considering the presence of the likes of David Silva, Kelvin De Bruyne and Sane/Nolito in the attacking midfield and Kun Aguero further high in a 4-2-3-1 formation or Kun Aguero upfront flanked by Sane/Nolito and David Silva on the wings with Kelvin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in midfield in a 4-3-3 formation . Last season, Sane scored eight goals providing six assists in 33 Bundesliga games. Though the stat isn't as impressive as one who's worth the present hype and transfer fee, Sane completed 91 dribbles , which was the highest for any Schalke player and one of the highest in the Bundesliga. The age of the player will also come in handy given the present predicament Manchester City find themselves with the average age of the team 30. This is due to the fact that the likes of Yaya Toure, Fernadinho, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clinchy, Vincent Kompany, Zabeleta are all above 30 with the likes of Joe Hart, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Alex Kolarov above 27.

With Raheem Sterling and David Silva playing in the left side of attacking midfield last season, the left side has suffered for sometime with Samir Nasri inconsistent displays coupled with his struggle with injury and fitness of late which is a departure from his impressive form of 2013/2014 title winning season. Sane can also play in various attacking positions namely forward centre and attacking midfield centre.

This Is not to say Sane has no flaws as the midfielder still lacks the ability to pick when to dribble or pass the ball at the moment. The German sometimes tries to over do which makes him lose possession so often or delay a quick counter attack. This same weakness saw him miss four straight Bundesliga games in the middle of last season as coach Andre Breitenreiter took the decision after he lost possession while trying to dribble when he could easily pass as Mainz seized the initiative to score a late winner against Schalke which at the end cost Breitenreiter his job and also Schalke Champions League football after they finished three points behind fourth placed Borussia Monchengladbach. In total , Sane scored 11 goals in 47 league games for his boyhood club before departing for Manchester City.

Though £37 million is high for a player who has played only three years of professional football, in an already highly inflated transfer market as we find ourselves it is a fee well spent .

Forget the fee and hype, at Manchester City and under Peo Guardiola, Leroy Sane is at the right club with the right manager to progress and live up to his huge and young potential.

Source

http://mailtelegraph..co.ke/2016/08/meet-manchester-citys-new-left-footed.html?m=1