LEROY SANE has been crticised for his body language in his warm-up before coming on for Germany against Portugal.
The winger, 26, was named on the bench by Joachim Low for the Group F clash at Euro 2020 on Saturday.
Sane replaced Bayern Munich team-mate Serge Gnabry in the 87th minute in Munich as the Germans saw out a 4-2 victory.
But while he barely had time to make an impact during the match, his actions beforehand certainly left their mark.
And Lothar Matthaus believes the lack of intensity before kick-off is only working against Sane, who also came on as a late sub against France.
Writing for Sky Sport Germany, the record German cap holder said: “Sane seems to have fallen behind again with Low.
“I took a closer look at him while warming up and if you watch Kimmich before the game for comparison, it’s almost a different sport in terms of body language.
“So maybe the national coach doesn’t like the attitude of the Bayern player again and that’s why others are currently being preferred.
“However, in my opinion, Leroy is the first candidate if Thomas Muller fails.
“Germany can absorb this loss against Hungary. In the longer term, it would be extremely important to have Thomas back on the field.”
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Low has opted for a front three of Gnabry, Muller and Havertz for Germany’s first two matches at the tournament – with the Chelsea star grabbing the third goal against Portugal.
Sane managed 16 minutes against the world champions last Tuesday after coming on for Havertz.
But across his two appearances, he has just 13 completed passes and one attempt with no tackles or recoveries.
Germany currently sit second in Group F, level on points and goal difference with reigning champs Portugal.
They take on Hungary on Wednesday in their final group game, hoping to secure their passage into the knockout stages.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
