Former Germany captain Ilkay Gündogan has called for greater support for Leroy Sané, who came under heavy criticism following the national team's 7-1 win over Curaçao in their World Cup opener.
"I think people don't understand Leroy. And I think they are doing him an injustice," Gündogan wrote in a column for Der Spiegel.
In addition to their time together with the national team, Gündogan spent four years as Sané's teammate at Manchester City between 2016 and 2020, and the duo are now reunited at Galatasaray.
"So I can say that I really know him well. And that's why it affects me when I see how critically he is often viewed in Germany," he wrote.
Gündogan describes Sané as a rather shy person whose confidence is more affected by public scrutiny than many might realise.
"He is a player who needs space to make mistakes. Only then can he truly flourish. But if he is constantly worried that the first mistake will immediately lead to criticism, how is Leroy supposed to perform consistently? We all need to do more to support him," Gündogan wrote.
The 35-year-old added that Sané often has "the feeling that people are just waiting for him to make a mistake."
"I can tell that he is not always as mentally free as he needs to be for his instinctive style of play. When he doesn't know people well, he becomes very cautious."
Despite criticism of his performance against Curaçao, Sané has been kept in the starting lineup for Germany's second World Cup match against Ivory Coast on Saturday night.
