MANCHESTER: Manchester City midfielder Leroy Sane will be out of action for at least six weeks with an ankle injury he picked up in his side’s FA Cup win against Cardiff, Pep Guardiola said last night.
The Germany international suffered ligament damage following a bad tackle from Joe Bennett in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie in the Welsh capital, which City won 2-0.
The 22-year-old is set to miss the League Cup final against Arsenal and both legs of the Champions League last-16 tie against Basel as well as key league fixtures against Arsenal and Chelsea.
Sane has been a key attacking player for the Premier League leaders this season, scoring 11 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions.
City boss Guardiola complained after the match against Cardiff that his players needed more protection from referees, although Cardiff manager Neil Warnock said his managerial counterpart should “expect” tackles in English football.
However, speaking to the press on the eve of City’s Premier League clash with West Brom, Guardiola disagreed with Warnock’s viewpoint.
“He (Sane) is injured, six or seven weeks out,” Guardiola said. “Neil Warnock has more experience than me by far about the English football. When he says that, what can I say? I was here 18 months and I think English football was not like this.
“My feeling is English football is not like this. But again, Neil has more experience than me. He has spent all his career in England and that is why his opinions are his opinions.”
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