Leroy Sane has offered an insight into his rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Manchester City, praising Ilkay Gundogan and Benjamin Mendy for helping to push his recovery along.
Sane has been forced to sit out the entire 2019-20 campaign after undergoing surgery on his right knee following City's Community Shield victory over Liverpool back in August.
The 24-year-old had been a key figure in Pep Guardiola's squad during in his first three seasons at the Etihad Stadium, racking up 134 appearances across all competitions and scoring 39 goals.
City have missed the Germany international in the final third of the pitch this season, and look destined to miss out on a third successive Premier League crown after falling 25 points behind champions-elect Liverpool.
Sane had just returned to full training in time for a crucial run of fixtures which included a Champions League last 16 second-leg date with Real Madrid, but the coronavirus outbreak has seen all domestic and European competitions called to a halt.
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The winger's wait to get back on the pitch has been extended, but he has now opened up on the support he has received behind the scenes during the most difficult period of his career to date.
Gundogan and Mendy have both experienced similar injury lay-offs in the past, and Sane was grateful to have the pair on hand for any advice and guidance.
“The whole team supported me, of course,” the City star told the club's official website. “But I was especially talking to Gundogan and Mendy a little bit more about the injury, what they did, what could happen and their experience with everything.
“It helped me a lot to know how certain stuff feels and what can happen. It helped me and I’m very pleased that they pushed me along with that."
Sane added on how he remained focused on building his strength back up during his lengthy spell on the sidelines: "It was the hardest and longest injury that I’ve ever had in my career.
“Especially the first day after the surgery because you can’t move at all and that’s not something any of us athletes are used to.
“You have to push yourself every day because you know it’s a long rehab, but it is a good opportunity to work more on other weaknesses and that’s why I took it as a chance to recover well and come back strong.”