Leroy Sane feels it is a "pity" that Mesut Ozil no longer plays for Germany after being asked about his former international team-mate by a fearless student on Tuesday.
Arsenal star Ozil announced he was leaving international football in July after accusing German Football Federation (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel of discrimination and "incompetence".
The outburst came after the midfielder felt he had been unfairly targeted for criticism following his meeting in May with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Germany held their media conference ahead of a friendly with Russia on Thursday at a school in Leipzig, with Sane put on the spot about Ozil's absence from the squad by a budding reporter.