The Mirror has revealed that former Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng tried to discourage Schalke 04 striker Leroy Sane from joining the club in the summer. The journal claims that in an interview with German newspaper Sport Bild, Boateng told his German international colleague that “In England, you have to operate immediately; you actually need a period of settling in, because on the island, different football is played. But the English press does not give you any time for it, immediately raising it. This is not easy for a player. Some can handle criticism a bit better, but others say: What am I doing here?' Everything is terrible, even the weather.”  

Now at Bayern Munich, Boateng’s time in England was an unhappy one as he failed to command a regular first-team place ahead of Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott. Sane joined the Citizens this summer in a £37 million deal but a hamstring injury has curtailed his start to life in the Premier League.


Steve Mitchell @barafundler