Leroy Sane has said his recovery from knee ligament damage "was the hardest and longest injury" of his career, with the German now working his way back to full fitness.

According to Jack Collins of the Mirror, the winger revealed the battle he's faced after suffering the injury during the FA Community Shield against Liverpool last August.

"It is difficult, especially the first day after the surgery because you can't move at all and that's not something any of us athletes are used to.

"You have to push yourself every day because you know it's a long rehab, but it is a good opportunity to work more on other weaknesses and that's why I took it as a chance to recover well and come back strong."

The 24-year-old's City contract expires at the end of next season, and the Germany international had been reportedly linked with a move back to the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, per Collins.

Sane has seen his reputation swell since moving to the Etihad Stadium in 2016 from Schalke, winning two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups and the FA Cup.

The player's future remained in doubt during pre-season, but his injury halted any potential opportunity of a big-money switch to the German champions.

Sane thanked team-mates Ilkay Gundogan and Benjamin Mendy for helping him during his recovery. The pair have previously dealt with serious injury.

"The whole team supported me, of course, but I was especially talking to Gundogan and Mendy a little bit more about the injury, what they did, what could happen and their experience with everything," Sane said. "It helped me a lot to know how certain stuff feels and what can happen. It helped me and I'm very pleased that they pushed me along with that."

Sane was close to a Premier League return for City before the coronavirus outbreak halted the campaign.

The attacker could be an important part of Pep Guardiola's end-of-season planning, with the Sky Blues chasing UEFA Champions League glory.

Sane remains one of the most exciting players at Guardiola's disposal, and he might provide the difference by the end of the campaign.