Football Felix Kroos about the DFB squad
“I don’t think Sané can be used on the bench”
Status: 25.03.2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes
“I don’t think Sané can be used on the bench”
Germany’s victory against France sparked European Championship euphoria in the country. The majority of the starting eleven for the tournament should already be in place, says Felix Kroos. There could be a hardship case with Leroy Sané. Kroos is harsh on the Bayern star
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Leroy Sané is currently not part of the German national team due to a red card suspension. According to Toni Kroos’ brother Felix, the FC Bayern offensive player is a special case with a view to the European Championships.
Former professional Felix Kroos (including Werder Bremen, Union Berlin) was a guest on the “BILD Sport” program on WELT TV. The 33-year-old is the younger brother of national player Toni Kroos (34), the two are very close and of course he was full of praise for his brother after the gala.
“Every teammate is happy that Toni is there and being able to play with him. This can be extra motivation. He can create euphoria and we need that now,” he said. Felix Kroos compared Toni to five-time world footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. “Cristiano made his teammates more and more successful. And Toni always made his teammates better.” He was asked whether Toni was the best player of his time. “Yes,” answered Felix Kroos. So far, so to be expected from the mouth of a brother.
But it became surprising when he allowed himself to turn to Leroy Sané – with clear words. The FC Bayern offensive player is currently not part of the national team in the international matches in France and on Tuesday in Frankfurt against the Netherlands (8.45 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker) because he was suspended for three games. The 28-year-old was shown a red card for assault during a friendly match in Austria in November. He will be eligible to play again on June 7th in the friendly against Greece, a week before the start of the European Championship.
“You can’t use that at the European Championships,” says Kroos
Kroos now assessed his situation. He said that for him Sané was “a case: either starting eleven or not in the squad. I don’t think you can use him on the bench.”
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In his opinion, Sané “isn’t the kind of person who would necessarily be good for a team like that when he’s sitting on the bench. He’s an incredibly good player, but if he doesn’t start playing he could become someone difficult. And you can’t use that at the European Championships. That’s why I think it’s an issue.”
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As things stand, however, national coach Julian Nagelsmann should neither doubt the Bayern star’s playing skills nor his attitude. During the international break in Munich, he works on his fitness every day in the Bayern training center, does rehabilitation training and receives treatment. At the start of the international break he explained: “I want to use the time now to be in top condition physically for the final spurt of the season.”
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In addition, despite the ban, he travels to his selection colleagues in Frankfurt/Main on Tuesday, spends the day there with the team and watches the international match against Holland in the evening. Sané wants to demonstrate closeness to his teammates and the national coach, with whom he is in regular contact. The 59-time national player is also scheduled to give an interview for “RTL” on the pitch before kick-off.
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According to Felix Kroos, Sané still has to fight for his European Championship ticket. “I think if you look at the past,” he said, “it’s always important to have a functioning group. If he can subordinate himself there, even as a non-starting player, he is of course very welcome with his qualities – even as a joker. Only, from the past, I don’t know him personally, I judge him that way from a distance. If the national coach can assess this better, that’s how it should be, then he will decide differently. This is now viewed from the outside.”