Van der Vaart clearly

Sane? “Hope someone kicks him in the ass”

Leroy Sane will be missing against the Netherlands.

(Bild: AFP/Ronny Hartmann)

Germany's national soccer team will face the Netherlands on Tuesday without Leroy Sane, who has undergone groin surgery. Rafael van der Vaart is convinced that the Bayern star would only deliver 20 percent of his performance even without his injury. "I hope that he wakes up, that someone kicks him in the ass," the former HSV professional made clear on "Ran".

"From my point of view, he only calls up 20 percent of his incredible qualities. And that's enough for him to shine. You have to imagine what happens when he really steps on the gas." Van der Vaart is generally a big fan of Sane, although he would like to see more commitment from the winger. "He's 28 years old now. I think he should have been at the level of Kylian Mbappe a long time ago," said the former Holland team player.

Rafael van der Vaart (l.) sees Germany as the favorites.

(Bild: AFP/APA/ANP/Koen van Weel)

"Huge potential" in the DFB team
Looking ahead to the upcoming Nations League clash between Elftal and Germany, Van der Vaart believes the visitors have a better chance: "I enjoyed their games at the European Championship. I had the feeling that the team deserved more in the end. For me, the German performances were impressive. In terms of play, it was good. I've always said that Germany has huge potential."

The fact that his compatriots made it to the semi-finals at the European Championships, on the other hand, was pure luck. "Third in the group stage, Romania in the round of 16 and Turkey one round later. With all due respect, you have to win against opponents like that. If someone had told us before the tournament that we would reach the semi-finals, we would have said great. But if you look at the European Championship, our performances weren't that great," said the 41-year-old.