Captain Manuel Neuer praises the development of the young players at FC Bayern, but at the same time warns against excessive expectations of the youngsters’ hopes.
“It’s not just what we saw from them here, but also the whole week of training. What the boys brought to the pitch was pretty good. Everyone is digging into it,” said Neuer after the 1-1 draw in the test match against FC Basel.
In the German record champions’ only test match before the Bundesliga restart on Friday (8:30 p.m.) against 1899 Hoffenheim, Adam Aznou (17), Benedikt Wimmer (18) and Lovro Zvonarek (18) from their own youth department were used due to major personnel problems . 18-year-old Noël Aséko Nkili even scored FC Bayern’s only goal.
“The boys wanted to show something,” praised coach Thomas Tuchel. Sports director Christoph Freund enthuses: “The boys have potential and are learning more every day.”
According to Neuer, the jump to the professionals remains huge in Munich. “It’s not that easy for young players to keep up with the workload because we obviously play fast and are relatively tough in the duels,” said the 37-year-old.
FC Bayern must “remain serious”
Tuchel emphasized that FC Bayern had to “remain serious, including towards the young players”.
A few steps further than Aznou, Wimmer, Zvonarek and Aséko Nkili is Aleksandar Pavlovic (19), who was already in the starting eleven in the Bundesliga before the winter break and also impressed again against Basel.
“When you see how he plays and what role he already has in the team, then you see what potential there is,” said Freund, referring to the Munich native, who is now a serious option for the position in the center that is not ideally occupied defensive midfield.