Sane snub bewilders Ballack

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack says Leroy Sane's World Cup omission does not make sense from a footballing perspective.

The 22-year-old winger  was left out of Germany coach Joachim Loew's 23-man squad.

"Like many people, I was surprised because from a football point of view there was no explanation not to select him," Ballack was quoted as saying by SunSport. "We have good players but there is a space for him -- even if he didn't perform in the same way as he did for City.

"For me, struggling is normal when you're young and join a really good team, the world champions.

"When you talk about quality and football, he has to be part of the team. But Loew made a different decision and we have to respect it.