Toni Kroos has criticised Germany teammate Leroy Sane’s attitude, saying the Manchester City winger too often gives the impression of not being bothered “whether you win or lose”.
Sane was controversially left out of Joachim Low’s 23-man selection for the World Cup squad, despite being voted PFA Young Player of the Year last season for his impressive contribution as City won the Premier League title in record-breaking fashion.
But the 22-year-old has struggled to make an impact for City in the opening month of this season, named among the substitutes for their first three Premier League matches and left out entirely for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Newcastle amid reports that Pep Guardiola harbours concerns about his attitude.
“He’s a player who has everything you need to be world-class player but sometimes you have to tell him he has to perform better and improve a bit,” Kroos said of Sane.
“Maybe that’s why he didn’t make the team [for the World Cup]. I don’t know. But you have to find a way to push him to his best. We don’t have many players like him - he would be a great success in our team, if he can do it on the pitch for us it would be fantastic.”
Despite his struggles at club level, Sane has been brought back into the Germany squad by Low for their Uefa Nations League opener against France on Thursday and friendly against Peru on Sunday. Kroos has no doubt about the winger’s quality, but believes he can improve his demeanour at times.
“I think he’s a team player, absolutely, nobody said he isn’t,” Kroos added. “The decision not to take him to the World Cup happened before I was there, so I don’t know how he was in training.
“But sometimes it’s about body language. Whether you win or lose, it’s about body language and he has to improve this. But what is crystal clear is his quality, his pace, his left foot.
“He was fantastic for City last year but Pep has the same problem at the moment – he’s trying to get the best out of him so he can perform better.
“If he performs, he’s a real weapon, honestly. He has the quality, especially for us, but maybe the head coach looked at his performances for the national team and wasn’t happy.”
