Berlin — Attacking midfielder Leroy Sane was a surprise omission from Joachim Loew’s final Germany squad for the World Cup finals on Monday as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was named among the 23 players for the defending champions. Neuer made the squad despite playing in just one official game, a friendly against Austria on Saturday, since breaking a bone in his foot in September. But talented 22-year-old Sane was the highest-profile player excluded. The Manchester City midfielder, goalkeeper Bernd Leno, forward Nils Petersen and defender Jonathan Tah failed to make the cut from Loew’s provisional list. Sane, who joined the English champions in 2016, was a surprise addition to Germany’s Euro 2016 squad two years ago but this time he was overlooked by Loew, who opted to take the more physical Julian Brandt to Russia instead. "It was a very tight decision between him and Julian Brandt which went in favour of Brandt," said Loew, who announced his squad at the end of a training camp at the I...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.