Everything is fine – Kroos clarifies Sane criticism

Toni Kroos moved to clarify comments he made about Germany teammate Leroy Sane last month.

Germany attacker Leroy Sane

Germany midfielder Toni Kroos played down his criticism of Leroy Sane, insisting he was full of praise for the attacker. Real Madrid star Kroos questioned Sane's body language during the international break last month.

However, the 28-year-old moved to clarify his comments on Thursday, saying that he had lauded the Manchester City attacker.

"It was forgotten that I praised him in the first three minutes. I couldn't see that anywhere, but that was clear to me. I'm not stupid," Kroos told a news conference.

"Back then, I didn't say that he doesn't care. I said that sometimes it seems that he doesn't care. You always have to be careful. I know that something like this gets interpreted in a negative way, but I don't care."

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"I have a good relationship with Leroy. Back then, it was a pity that he had to leave after the first game. He played well against France after the substitution. He makes a good impression."

"I don't need to repeat those first three minutes of my praise. I'm looking forward to playing with him for a while, because I know his qualities. And, I've already mentioned that."

"Everything is fine. We don't see each other that often, so it's difficult to find a big change. But, he doesn't have to change much."

Germany faces Netherlands in the Nations League on Saturday before meeting France again.