Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller hope Bayern Munich will see the best of Leroy Sane next year after the winger was substituted on and off against Bayer Leverkusen.
Sane has had a tough time since joining Bayern from Manchester City for an initial €49million in July, being restricted to just five Bundesliga starts.
He was once again named on the bench for Saturday’s trip to the BayArena but was introduced just after the half-hour mark for the injured Kingsley Coman.
However, the Germany international lasted only 36 minutes on the field before being taken off for Jamal Musiala with the game poised at 1-1 and Bayern chasing a goal.
Sane cut a frustrated figure as he made his way back to the bench but head coach Hansi Flick felt he had no other choice but to make the tough call.
“It wasn’t a punishment,” he said at his post-match news conference. “I had to make a sub, and the options were either Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry or Leroy.
“Thomas is indispensable for our system, Serge really got into the game in the second half. So I had to sub Leroy off.
“Ultimately, it’s about the success of the team above the individuals. We support Leroy in every way possible.”
