Manchester City forward Leroy Sane is the shock omission from Germany’s 23-man squad for the World Cup, announced by coach Joachim Low at a news conference on Monday.
Sane, the Premier League Young Player of the Year, was expected to made the final squad but was left out. While Low initially did not explain his decision, he later told reporters that Leverkusen forward Julian Brandt edged the winger.
“We have good players on the wing in Thomas Muller and Marco Reus. Julian Draxler played a good Confed Cup, and made progress there,” Low said. “It was a tight race between Leroy Sane and Julian Brandt. Both have big qualities, both are good in the one-on-one duels.
“Julian Brandt was at the Confed Cup, had some strong games there, and put in good shifts in the training camp too. Leroy Sane is a huge talent, no doubt, and he will be back with the team in September.”