Germany vs Serbia: Man City's Leroy Sane escapes serious injury despite 'vicious foul'

The sight of Sane in pain will have been of concern, not least for quadruple-chasing City, but the 23-year-old said there were no lasting effects

Leroy Sane escaped serious injury despite a horror tackle late in Germany’s friendly with Serbia on Wednesday.

The Manchester City winger required lengthy treatment and eventually limped off after being hit above the ankle by a lunge from Milan Pavkov in injury time of the 1-1 draw in Wolfsburg. The striker was immediately shown a straight red card.

The sight of Sane in pain will have been of concern, not least for quadruple-chasing City, but the 23-year-old said there were no lasting effects.

“The foul looked worse than it was, everything is fine with my ankle," he said.

Manager Joachim Low was relieved there was no damage but was far from happy with the challenge.

He said: “It was a vicious foul. Sane was lucky and got away with not getting hurt but such fouls can break bones.”

After a quiet first half, Sane was one of Germany’s most influential players as they recovered from conceding a 12th-minute goal to Luka Jovic to claim a draw through substitute Leon Goretzka’s 69th-minute equaliser.

Low felt there were positives to take from his new-look side’s performance as they prepare for their opening Euro 2020 qualifier against Holland this weekend.

Low said: “It was a shame to go behind from a set-piece. You could tell that we hadn’t quite adjusted to a team defending so deeply. We were lacking a bit of chemistry.

“In the second half we increased the tempo and created more chances, but in the end we weren’t quite clinical enough. That can be part of the learning process at this level. I was happy with the mentality today.”

Goretzka felt it was a game Germany should have won.

Sane was injured by Serbia's Milan Pavkov late on (REUTERS)

He said: “A draw isn’t enough. When you look at how many chances and how much possession we had, we have to win that game.

“We struggled to break through in the final third during the first half but were much better at finding space in the second.”

PA