Monday 13 February 2017 19:58, UK
Leroy Sane is beginning to justify his £37m price-tag at Manchester City. Ahead of their Monday Night Football clash with Bournemouth, we look at the stats which show why he is already integral to Pep Guardiola's Etihad Stadium project.
During the opening months of the season, there was little evidence to suggest Leroy Sane would be a big player for Manchester City in his first campaign in England. The youngster had arrived from Schalke with a reputation as a rising star in German football, but injuries limited his involvement, and when he did play, he found it tough.
In fact, City only won one of his first six starts for the club. Sane's muted performances were far from the only factor, but it was an awkward pattern nonetheless. The £37m fee was the third-highest paid by any Premier League club in the summer. But four months into the season, City were yet to see much of a return.
The breakthrough arrived against Arsenal a week before Christmas. Pep Guardiola's side were in dire need of a victory against one of their rivals having suffered demoralising defeats to Chelsea and Leicester, and Sane played an integral role in the 2-1 win, latching onto David Silva's chipped pass to equalise with his first goal for the club.
A poorly-timed injury kept him out for another month after that, but Sane has started four consecutive games since marking his return to the team with another goal in City's 2-2 draw with Tottenham. He netted again in City's FA Cup win over Crystal Palace, and there were similarly effective performances against West Ham and Swansea.
The adjustment was not easy, but along with Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, Sane now forms part of a front three described by Guardiola as "the future of the club". He is playing with confidence. No City player has averaged more successful dribbles per 90 minutes, and he has provided pace and penetration few players can match.
But while his goals are have been the standout moments - and it's no coincidence that all three of them have come from running in behind the opposition defence - there are other attributes which have delighted Guardiola even more. "You don't need to be a manager to realise his improvement," he said recently. "It's not just about his goals."
The benched Sergio Aguero would surely testify to that. Guardiola asks his forwards to couple their attacking duties with tireless off-the-ball work. It's why he has preferred the energetic Gabriel Jesus as his main striker in recent weeks, and it's why Sane has become so crucial to the left of him.
Guardiola's high-pressing system demands a certain kind of player, and Sane fits the mould better than anyone. The stats show he is top among City's forwards for both ball recoveries (6.4 per 90 minutes) and tackles (2.2 per 90 minutes), and that ability to steal possession in dangerous areas is invaluable. In the 4-0 win over West Ham, for example, it was his interception from Pedro Obiang which led to City's third goal.
Premier League tracking data is similarly revealing. Of the Manchester City players to have played at least 600 minutes this season, Sane ranks top for sprints with 76 per 90 minutes. It puts him comfortably ahead of any of his team-mates, and places him in the top 15 in the whole of the Premier League.
A closer inspection shows that Sane has made more sprints than any of his team-mates in each of the four Premier League games in which he has completed the 90 minutes. In their draw with Spurs in January - a game Guardiola's side should have won comfortably - he actually clocked the most sprints (93) by any City player in a single game all season.
The Catalan insists Sane still needs to work on his passing and decision-making, but he has been a big part of City's upturn in form and he's becoming more important by the week. Even more encouraging for Guardiola, however, is that all the ingredients are there for more improvement.
"That's why we bought him," added the City boss. "He has a quality that is difficult to find. Even without the ball he's getting better. He's so aggressive when he doesn't have it. Hopefully he can be stable and keep going."
It was difficult to imagine Sane would find himself in this position a few months ago, but the landscape looks different now. Guardiola's plans are finally coming together. As City aim to continue their climb up the table against Bournemouth on Monday Night Football, their tireless 21-year-old will be leading the way.
