Why Man City star Leroy Sane could benefit from football lockdown

Leroy Sane was back in action for City's U23s before the shutdown
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Leroy Sane could benefit from football being placed on lockdown, according to Manchester City teammate Ilkay Gundogan.

The Germany winger was on the verge of returning from knee ligament damage before coronavirus brought a halt to sport around the world.

And Gundogan has revealed Sane was still dealing with minor issues before completing his recovery - but should be rating to go when the game resumes.

“For everyone the situation has its good and bad sides,” said the midfielder. “On one hand, Leroy had already trained with the team and he had his comeback in sight, even though he still had a few minor things.

"But he was almost back at playing again.

“Especially for your psyche, it’s important to be able to play again after such a long time.

“On the other hand, he now has a bit more time to figure out those minor problems he still had. The fact that others can’t play either is not so bad for him.

“Also the Euros were postponed until next year.”

City’s players report daily to Pep Guardiola’s staff to provide updates of their regimes during isolation - and Gundogan admits it has been difficult to carry out individual plans.

“I have a few things to do and then I’m ready to go,” he said. “To be honest, it’s not so easy to motivate yourself these days every day when you are training.

"You know, like people who are working from home, you can maybe compare it to that.

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“For those people it’s also not the same as driving to work every day and then doing their jobs. You have to motivate yourself to do things and to do your work. Some days it’s harder than others.

“I look out of the window, and I live in the city centre, it’s all quite empty. You see a few people on bikes or walking, but always just groups of one or two.

“I personally try to go out every one or two days to get some fresh air. I’ll make coffee at home, take a bottle of water and get a little recharging in the sun.”

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