Bundesliga
Neuer’s praise for the young Bayern guard: “Everyone bites into it”
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer thinks highly of Bayern’s young talent. photo
© Lukas Barth-Tuttas/dpa
It is extremely difficult for young players to make the jump into the FC Bayern professional team. During the test in Basel, some youngsters revealed their potential. And there is just a role model for them to emulate.
He invests a lot of money FC Bayern Munich in its youth campus year after year. A new Thomas Müller or the next Bastian Schweinsteiger are being sought.
In the German football champions’ only test match at FC Basel, it was clear how many talents are growing up, but for whom the leap into the well-known professional team remains enormous.
Given the short squad, 18-year-old goalscorer Noël Aséko Nkili, Adam Aznou (17), Benedikt Wimmer (18) and Lovro Zvonarek (18) also earned their first minutes of action with the professionals in the 1-1 draw. The latter was unlucky with a shot hitting the post.
Pavlovic as a role model
“It’s not just what we saw from them here, but also during the entire training week. What the boys brought to the pitch was pretty good. Everyone is digging into it,” praised captain Manuel Neuer. At the same time, the national goalkeeper warned against exaggerated expectations: “It’s not that easy for young players to keep up with the workload because we naturally play fast and are also relatively tough in the duels.” The transition from youth to senior football is huge.
The current Bayern role model for young players is Aleksandar Pavlovic. As in the last Bundesliga games before the winter break, the 19-year-old played in defensive midfield from the start and showed a good performance, especially in the first half. “When you see how he plays and what role he already has in the team, you see what potential there is,” commented Christoph Freund. “The boys have potential and are learning every day,” noted the sports director.
Thomas Tuchel was also impressed by the young players. “The boys wanted to show something,” said the coach. The 50-year-old warned that expectations shouldn’t be raised too high: “We have to remain serious, including towards the young players.” The jump into the Munich star ensemble remains an extremely big one.