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The former City man scored on a winning debut for his new team, which came at the expense of the club where he began his professional career.
Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané admitted he was “a bit sorry” for taking part in the 8-0 defeat of former Schalke on the opening day of the Bundesliga season.
The reigning champions were in brilliant form against a hapless Schalke on Friday, taking a 3-0 lead at halftime thanks to goals from Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka and a Robert Lewandowski penalty.
It got even better for Bayern after the break, when Gnabry completed a hat-trick before Thomas Muller, Sane and 17-year-old Jamal Musiala completed Schalke’s misery.
Sane, who made his debut after his move in July from Manchester City, felt he was a perfect fit with his new teammates and was satisfied with their appetite for goals.
“It felt great being on the field with the guys,” Sane said. “It was a very good day. I feel completely comfortable and I knew that everything would work out with the team. Everyone was hungry. Everyone wanted to attack and give their best.”
Sane started his professional career at Schalke before his move to the Premier League in 2016 and admitted to feeling sympathy for his former team after such a crushing defeat.
“Of course, I was at Schalke for a long time,” he added. “To get a loss like that at the beginning of the season and he gets so crazy is difficult. Of course, I am a little sorry.”
Schalke have failed to win in their last 17 Bundesliga games, and head coach David Wagner left to lament his team’s “naive” approach against the national and European champions.
“That was bad,” Wagner said. “We did not play well; Bayern were outstanding. We have to shake ourselves now, accept this bitter defeat and show the reaction against Werder Bremen that we expect from ourselves.”
“It was naive that we wanted to move on after the fourth or fifth goal.”
Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick said his team’s demolition of Schalke should serve as a benchmark for the rest of the campaign.
While Flick was pleased his team left an ominous scoreboard for the 2020-21 season, he still believes they should have scored more in the first half.
“We had our first match, but we have to take it easy,” he told reporters. “We played brilliantly, but we should have scored two, three, maybe four more goals in the first half.
“But it was important to show that we are also on the right track this season. I am very satisfied with the performance. This is now a benchmark for both Gnabry and Sane and for the whole team.”
