Thomas Tuchel knows what Leroy Sane is capable of for Bayern Munich

It was the never-ending saga when Leroy Sane was first linked with a move to Bayern Munich from Manchester City. In the end, after a cruciate ligament injury, a lot of waiting, and a bevy of negotiating sessions, Bayern finally landed their man in the summer of 2020 for just under 50-million euros. That fee would’ve been higher had it not been for the cruciate ligament injury he sustained that set him back for the better part of the 2019/20 season with City.

Have we yet to see the best of Sane at Bayern, though? In each of his first three he’s tallied 10 goals and 12 assists, 14 goals and 15 assists, and then 14 goals and 10 assists. While those numbers might seem rosy, this is still a player that’s received his fair share of criticism from Bayern fans and hasn’t been a stranger to missing his credible chances. There’s a lot left to be desired for a player of his caliber, and that should be of great solace, not only to Bayern fans, but to Thomas Tuchel as well. He has the chance to really get the best out of him.

Things are pointing in the right direction, too, as Sane reportedly cut a very motivated figure in Bayern’s training camp in Tegernsee. “It’s just up to him. Leroy has everything, especially physically, to dominate the league and the opponents,” Tuchel said when he was asked about the winger by the press present in Tegernsee (via @iMiaSanMia).

Julian Nagelsmann’s magic wand for Sane last season seemed to be when he switched to playing him from the right flank to the left, but that recurring theme slowly faded over time for both Nagelsmann and Tuchel. The sudden switch by Nagelsmann midway through last season’s hinrunde seemed to work wonders, but that’s not always the best option available with any given selection of eleven players for any given match.

Sane has the versatility to play on the left, right, or even centrally, and Tuchel knows that. It’s clear that he knows Bayern’s number 10 still has a higher ceiling than what he’s showing, so hopefully he helps him perform to his best ability this coming season right out of the gates.

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