Sane back in Bayern squad after knee injury

Munich, Germany, Oct 23, 2020 (AFP) - Striker Leroy Sane is back in the Bayern Munich squad for Saturday's match against Eintracht Frankfurt after missing three games with a knee injury, coach Hansi Flick said on Friday.

"Leroy is absolutely an alternative, because he made a good impression in training," the coach said in his pre-match press conference.

Bayern are second in the Bundelsiga, one point behind the leader Leipzig.

Sane, a German international who arrived from Manchester City this summer, is however not yet ready to start for the team.

"I don't plan to play him from the outset. You have to go step by step," Flick said.

Sane's right-knee injury forced him to miss two Bundesliga matches in October and Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

Bayern are still without another winger, Serge Gnabry, who tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Frenchman Kingsley Coman is expected to play, if he has recovered enough from his exertions against Atletico when he scored twice and set up another goal.

In midfield, Frenchman Corentin Tolisso will serve the first part of his two-match ban, after a red card last week against Bielefeld.

The match in Munich comes almost a year after Frankfurt beat visiting Bayern 5-1 last November 2, a result that led to Niko Kovac being fired and replaced by Flick who then led Bayern to a historic five titles and a 5-1 revenge victory in May.