Sane raring to go ahead of derby clash

Leroy Sane has declared himself fit for Saturday's Manchester derby.

City midfielder Sane has yet to make an appearance for Pep Guardiola's side since joining from Schalke for a reported fee of £37million in August due to a hamstring strain.

But the Germany midfielder has trained this week and says he is ready to make his Premier League bow in Saturday's eagerly-anticipated clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Sane told City's official website: "I feel good now and I think I'm ready to play.

"I've trained well and my hamstring is fine so I'm looking for to finally getting started."

The meeting between the two title hopefuls has thrown up a number of intriguing subplots, none bigger than the meeting of old foes Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.

And Sane, who played in the Ruhr derby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund, admits he is fascinated at the rivalry between his new club and their closest rivals.

He added: "I've played in derby games in Germany but this should be a great match and one I'm really looking forward to, especially because Pep Guardiola is taking on Jose Mourinho.

"It should be a special game and we can sense the expectation all around the city from our supporters.

"I can't believe how close the two clubs are, it's maybe 10 minutes to drive from City to United which is really quick.  In Germany it was about 30 minutes between Schalke and Dortmund but Manchester is different.

"It goes without saying that everyone wants to win this game, particularly so early in the season and both sets of supporters will be afraid of losing, but that's normal for any derby – nobody wants to end on the losing team.

"On the other hand, I think some fans would be happy to end the season there and then if they end up winning.

"It's going to be exciting and I hope I can play some part and help us bring back three points.

"It will be tough. I think both sides will play their own game, keep the ball and look for openings and the team that plays the best football will probably win and we intend that to be us."