Former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick has had a couple of key objectives since taking over the German national team.
One of them was integrating some younger players into the squad and Flick can point to SC Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck and Hoffenheim’s David Raum as two examples of setting up the next generation on the senior team.
“We had a great U-21 Euros and gained a lot of confidence from winning the tournament. We’re trying to bring those qualities to the table here. The level is very high, so you have to stay focused and work very hard,” said Schlotterbeck.
Raum agreed and touted the team’s great environment for learning.
“You can learn so much here, even when it comes to the professionalism of individual players. We’re taking everything on board and are trying to implement it and improve ourselves in those areas.”
National team director Oliver Bierhoff is excited to see players like Schlotterbeck and Raum getting the opportunity to break through. It was only a few month ago where Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz were just starting to get their feet wet with the national team.
“It’s always exciting to see young talent coming through and how quickly they adapt to the level and make their mark. It’s great to see that development with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala,” said Bierhoff. “It’s incredibly important that we deliver positive performances, exciting football and passion for the national team so that our fans feel that too.”
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