MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City's Germany playmaker Leroy Sane has credited manager Pep Guardiola for helping him improve this season.
He has already scored 12 goals with 15 assists in all competitions after nine goals and eight assists last term.
City have lost once in the Premier League this season and have a massive 16-point lead at the top ahead of Sunday's visit of champions Chelsea, who are 22 points off the pace in fifth.
"I have improved a lot, even from last season, with this coach (Guardiola)," Sane, 22, told Sky Sports. "And I am really enjoying it and having so much fun playing and training with my team mates. I am kind of lucky to be here.
"As soon as I arrived here he was criticising me straight away! He showed me where I can improve and every time I made a mistake he would say, 'You have to do it like this!' And when I tried to do it, I could see it helped me...
"He makes the game easier for you to keep the ball, to see where your team mates are, what you can do with them and how you can help them..."
Sane's stellar season has been helped by midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who tops the league in assists with 14 in 28 matches, and the German has praised the Belgian international.
"Kevin is a fantastic player... He also really enjoys playing football and the way he plays is fantastic - the assists and some of the passes he plays.
"... Sometimes he is not even looking at me and he still passes the ball. And that is why I always say that when Kevin has the ball, something is going to happen."
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
