Sane was a surprise omission from Joachim Low’s final 23-man selection, the 22-year-old dropping out of Germany’s party along with Bernd Leno, Jonathan Tah and Nils Petersen.
De Bruyne believes Sane has established himself as one of the hottest prospects in world football under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, and is therefore surprised to see him miss out.
“I didn’t talk with him yet, it just happened, obviously,” said the Belgium international.
“I just want to give him some space because I don’t think he thought he wouldn’t be in the squad.
“In the end I don’t know what happened in Germany, maybe there was an issue between them [Sane and Low]. We’ll never know, I guess.”
Walker also felt Sane’s displays for the Premier League champions warranted a place in Low’s squad.
“I’m very close to Leroy at Manchester City,” the England defender told reporters.
“Obviously the Germany manager had very different ideas to me, I’m not the manager.
“But I think the season he had in the Premier League, to win the Young Player of the Year, I thought he probably did deserve, in my opinion, to go to the World Cup and showcase his talent. But it wasn’t to be.
