Manchester City's Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan keen to make most of Abu Dhabi trip ahead of final push

Tom Biggs 11:44 16/03/2018
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  • Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan

    Leroy Sane says Manchester City’s trip to Abu Dhabi is the perfect preparation for the final stretch of what has already been an impressive season for Pep Guardiola’s men.

    City lifted the first trophy of the Guardiola era last month, six days after a painful defeat to Wigan Athletic in the Emirates FA Cup, by winning the League Cup, while the Premier League trophy looks set to be won at home to their arch rivals Manchester United in early April.

    The defeat to Wigan means City aren’t in action this weekend ahead of the international break, with Guardiola and his players using the opportunity to head to Abu Dhabi to prepare themselves for the remaining games of the campaign.

    And Sane believes the trip was exactly what City needed.

    “For me especially it’s always a good idea to do it, especially if you play in the Premier League where you have so many hard games,” he said.

    “To have a break, to be in the sun, you can also enjoy it a little more here. The conditions to train are really good. The whole team agreed to it, to be here in the good weather. I think it gives more energy to come back and chase our targets.”

    Training camps are often used as a way of bringing a squad closer together, but that’s not a concern for City, according to Sane.

    “The atmosphere, since I arrived here, was always really good. The players are really nice here,” the German added. “Everyone is happy and tries to bring some joy in the team so everyone can laugh and have fun.

    “I think every one of us in the team really enjoys spending time with each other. If the team has a good atmosphere, they know everyone really well and I think it also helps on the pitch to give better performances.”

    For Ilkay Gundogan, the trip to Abu Dhabi is bittersweet, as City would have spent this week preparing for an FA Cup quarter-final this weekend had it not been for that defeat to Wigan.

    But the Germany midfielder says it has been good for the squad to mix up their training and routine ahead of the final month and a half of the season.

    “The weather makes the main difference. In the Premier League it’s very hard to get this spare time,” he said.

    “Unfortunately we are here because we are not in the FA Cup any more, so the main reason behind everything is a little bit disappointing for us obviously.

    “Now we’re here and we’re enjoying training. It’s nice to be away from Manchester where every day we have similar days. It’s different here now and we’re enjoying it.”

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