Van der Vaart criticises Leroy Sané after move to Galatasaray, says he 'threw away his career'

Rafael van der Vaart has publicly criticised Leroy Sané’s decision to join Galatasaray this summer, saying the Germany international has "thrown away his own career" after being left out of the national squad for the September international break.

Sané, 29, left Bayern Munich in July after rejecting a new contract to sign for the Turkish champions, where he has so far scored once and provided one assist in four league appearances as Galatasaray chase a fourth consecutive Süper Lig title. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann suggested selectors expect players to "stand out more" when they are performing in leagues considered to be of lower quality, remarks that preceded Sané’s omission from this month’s Germany roster.

Van der Vaart, the former Tottenham midfielder now working as a television pundit, made the comments to Dutch outlet RAN. "I think Sané's development is simply a shame," Van der Vaart said. "He threw away his own career." The remark follows media debate in Germany and elsewhere over whether a move to the Turkish league will reduce Sané’s visibility to national selectors.

Sané has publicly expressed confidence that the move will not prevent him from returning to international duty. After the international break he told reporters he wanted to win his place back in the Germany squad and that a schedule of two matches a week would help him find momentum. "After the international break, things are really getting started," Sané said. "I also like the two games a week the most, to really gain momentum and get into a good rhythm. Only then will the season really start. Four games and four wins were already an extremely important step for us, even if, of course, not everything was 100 percent perfect."

Sane will have opportunities this season to test himself against higher-profile opposition. Galatasaray were drawn in a Champions League group that includes Manchester City, Liverpool, Atlético Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, fixtures that could provide a wider stage for evaluation by national-team coaches.

During his four seasons at Manchester City, Sané scored 39 goals and supplied 44 assists in 135 appearances, helping the club to eight trophies, including two Premier League titles. He rose to prominence at Schalke before joining City and later moving to Bayern Munich, where he spent five years prior to his transfer to Turkey.

Galatasaray have started the domestic campaign strongly and the club’s immediate priority remains retaining the league title, but the debate over Sané’s international prospects and whether the transfer represents a step down for the winger has continued to draw attention as the season progresses.