Pep Guardiola Admits Uncertainty Over Leroy Sane Injury But Concedes 6 or 7 Month Absence Likely

​Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that Leroy Sane is likely to be sidelined until February at the earliest after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.

The German is set to have surgery on the injury which he picked up in the early stages of City's Community Shield victory over Liverpool, but such an injury often requires a lengthy spell out of action.

Speaking ahead of ​City's meeting with ​West Ham (via ​BBC Sport), Guardiola confessed that he is not certain how long Sane will be unavailable, although history suggests that he will miss the majority of the ​Premier League season.

He said: "It is incredibly bad news. I don't know how long he will be out. Normally this kind of injury is six or seven months - hopefully February or March."

The club previously ​confirmed that Sane would work with a specialist to try and aid his recovery, adding that they will offer him plenty of support until he feels able to return to action.

Thaaank u @DeBruyneKev !  https://t.co/rIuXIlHuCm

— Leroy Sané (@LeroySane19) August 8, 2019

The injury brought an end to talk of a potential switch to ​Bayern Munich for Sane, with the ​Bundesliga champions ​turning their attention to a loan deal for ​Inter winger ​Ivan Perisic instead.

As a result, the 23-year-old will likely remain at the Etihad Stadium for the coming season, and City will be hoping to see him return as soon as possible on their quest to compete in every competition next season.

In his absence, Guardiola will have to rely on the likes of ​Raheem Sterling, ​Riyad Mahrez and ​Bernardo Silva, whilst both ​Sergio Aguero and ​Gabriel Jesus are comfortable on the wing if needs be.

Source : 90min