Jamal Musiala has set his eyes on Germany - the young player does not wish to play for England anymore.
Stefan Kuntz, though, is not allowed to appoint him to the squad for the Under-21 European Championship, just yet. In ten days, the coach of the German U-21 national team will nominate his squad for the group stage of the European Championships in Hungary and Slovenia (March 24 to March 31). There are still some questions unanswered, but it is clear that he cannot rely on Musiala. In case you also want a taste of managing your own team, how about trying out Fantasy Football?
The 18-year-old midfield talent from FC Bayern recently decided to play for the DFB selection team, but this move is blocked for him - at least as far as the U21 European Championship is concerned. Because last November, Musiala, who moved to England as a seven-year-old, was active in qualifying for the upcoming European Championship finals for the English U21s. In England's 3-1 victory against Andorra the native of Stuttgart was on the field, and four days later against Albania (5-0) he even appeared as a goal scorer - and players are not allowed to compete for two associations within one competition.
At the U21 European Championship, whose knockout rounds will not begin with the quarter-finals until May 31 (final on June 6), Germany will meet the Netherlands, Romania, and Hungary in Group A at the end of March. England belongs to Group D with Croatia, Portugal, and Switzerland. Musiala can, however, justifiably hope to be part of the senior national team at the same time.
Musiala made his choice shortly before his 18th birthday, explaining how he listened to his feelings and how this decision feels 100% right. The young star has a heart for both England and Germany, which will continue beating even after his move. Musiala was born in Stuttgart and moved to England at the age of seven. He trained there at Southampton and Chelsea before moving to Munich in the summer of 2019. As a dual citizen, he has played for several U-teams of the English national setup, most recently twice for the U21s. And now, he is moving to the DFB.
Musiala met with Joachim Low in Munich and they had, as he described, a very good and honest conversation. Low showed the midfielder a clear path for him in the national team. Both Low and Bierhoff want to see the young player gain more new experiences, meet more people and understand his motivation. Musiala was impressed by how his playing style and strength were discussed and analysed. He explained how the national coach wants to see him in his team's strongest position in attacking midfield.
England's U21 national coach Aidy Boothroyd also could not stop praising the young player. He boasted how even though Musiala is not yet physically mature, he is an excellent player who will transform into a brutal man. The coach continued by praising the player's feet as impressive and razor-sharp. "We want to keep him" is what the coach said.
The young player dreams of playing a European Championship in Munich, and both the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 European Championship in Germany are clear goals for him.
In four weeks, the time will finally come to the group stage of the U-21 European Championships in Hungary and Slovenia. As usual, Germany can count itself among the favourites for the cup. Trainer Stefan Kuntz has a large group of young talented players who are ready for their first major tournament. After winning the tournament in 2017 and participating in the final in 2019, a successful tournament should also be had this time, even if Musiala will not be able to participate.
Germany has not had great luck with talented goalkeepers; Lennart Grill from Bayer Leverkusen, Finn Dahmen from FSV Mainz and Nico Mantl from RB Salzburg are all substitutes for the goalkeeper's position. Additional options could be Jan-Christoph Bartels from Waldhof Mannheim and Ron-Thorben Hoffmann from FC Bayern Munich II.
For central defence, Kuntz will have to choose amongst many players of a similar level. Even though no player stands out, that does not mean they are not talented. There are several experienced players on Stefan Kuntz's list, even if most of them are only seated in the 2nd Bundesliga. With Lars-Lukas Mai, who was loaned to Darmstadt by FCB, and Amos Pieper from Bielefeld, the main defence is set. Also, Nico Schlotterbeck from Union Berlin should be amongst the top defenders. Additional candidates are Paul Jaeckel from Greuther Fürth and Maxim Leitsch from VfL Bochum – both have good chances of advancing with their clubs - and Stephan Ambrosius from HSV and Armel Bella Kotchap from VfL Bochum.
Riddle Baku from VfL Wolfsburg and David Raum from Fürth will probably be regular players on the outside positions. As star player Dennis Geiger had surgery, he will most likely be unable to participate and Niklas Dorsch from KAA Gent will probably take over his position.
At the age of 16, having matured into one of the greatest talents in Europe, Musiala came back to Germany with his family and decided to join FC Bayern. The contract that Musiala will sign in Munich should have a term of five years, according to The Guardian. Musiala is to be equipped with one of the longest contracts of all current Bundesliga players and also has clarity for his national team career.
The future of the exceptional talent who will soon come of age has already begun. body check tags ::