Manchester City winger Leroy Sane suffered ankle ligament damage from horror Joe Bennett tackle
No timeframe has been set for Sané's return, with the winger set for 'a spell on the sidelines'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City have confirmed that Leroy Sané sustained ankle ligament damage during Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup fourth round win over Cardiff City.
The 22-year-old winger was injured following a strong and late challenge by Cardiff left back Joe Bennett, who was later sent off for another poor tackle on Brahim Diaz.
Sané was substituted at half time by manager Pep Guardiola, who later suggested that the player could be sidelined for up to a month.
Scans were subsequently carried out on Sané’s left ankle and City confirmed on Monday that the winger was set for “a spell on the sidelines”, though no timeframe was given for his return.
After the final whistle on Sunday, Guardiola called for referees to provide players with protection from dangerous challenges.
“I said many times the only thing they [referees] have to do is protect the players,” the City manager said.
“Not the Man City players, all players. The only thing they can do is that – to protect the players – because it would not happen again. It happened once with Leroy, then it happened with Brahim again at the end.
“For the football in general, and for the players who are the artists, they must do that. That’s why we are all here.”
Bennett later apologised for his tackle on Sané, writing on Twitter: “Just want to apologise to Leroy Sané for my tackle today. I tried to stop the counter attack and completely mistimed my attempt.
“I didn’t mean to catch him like I did. I hope it’s nothing serious and he recovers quickly.”
Sané has scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions for City this season, making 33 appearances in total.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments