Sane steps up recovery but Guardiola can't guarantee he will stay at Man City in January

Posted Wednesday, December 18, 2019 by Goal.com

The Bayern Munich target has returned to working on the pitch after being ruled out since August with a knee injury
Leroy Sane has stepped up his recovery from a serious injury but Pep Guardiola cannot guarantee that he will be at Manchester City when the January transfer window closes.

The Germany winger has not played since damaging his anterior cruciate ligaments in the Community Shield victory over Liverpool in August.

Sane, 23, revealed on Instagram that he was back working on the pitch, though the club have not yet put a date on when he will be ready to return to first-team action.

"When will he be back? I don't know," Guardiola told a news conference ahead of City's Carabao Cup trip to Oxford United on Wednesday. "The process is [about] getting perfect, not setbacks.

"I think he is physically strong, muscular, but he is recovering well. The next step is on the pitch and then the team, and always will be so happy when he is back."

But the City boss stopped short of guaranteeing he will be at the Etihad Stadium by the end of next month.

German champions Bayern Munich made no secret of their interest in the winger, with a summer-long transfer saga only ended when Sane suffered the injury.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness told the Planet Futbol podcast that he expects the club to revive their interest in the former Schalke forward.

A possible move could happen in the new year, although Goal understand a move at the end of the season is more likely with Sane entering into the final 12 months of his current deal.

Asked about a possible move in January, Guardiola said: "I don't know about that. Anything can happen."

Sane has been offered a new contract by City but it has remained unsigned.

Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero is stepping up his own recovery from injury while David Silva could potentially come into consideration for Saturday's clash with Leicester City.

"[Sergio] is coming back,[he did] a training session. He did a big part of the training," Guardiola said.

"The next step is to take part in the training session with the team.

"David is not ready for tomorrow. We will see after that on Thursday or Friday whether he can train for Leicester, we will see."