The story behind Leroy Sane's Man City struggles

Pep Guardiola dropped Leroy Sane from his Manchester City squad against Newcastle after benching him for the first three games. Dropping him from the Manchester City squad represented the most extreme example of Pep Guardiola's plan to spark a reaction from Leroy Sane. He started just five league games in his first five months at the club as the City manager waited for the talented youngster to show his worth to teammates. In 2017, there was just one start in the opening six games after failing to impress in pre-season. And this year, a surprisingly barbed comment from Guardiola on the summer tour - the first sign of another issue - has been followed by Sane being hooked at half-time in the Community Shield, benched for the first three league games, and excluded from the matchday squad altogether for the fourth. The tactic is clear and the public challenges do not just come when the German is out of form; a month after he had deservedly won the PFA Young Player award, Guardiola went on Monday Night Football to say of him and Raheem Sterling: "They can do better. I have that feeling.