Jamal Musiala has fought his way back step by step after his serious injury. However, the FC Bayern attacking star still does not appear to be at 100 per cent. Nevertheless, national coach Julian Nagelsmann is encouraging the 23-year-old – and has high hopes for him at the World Cup
A few weeks ago, Nagelsmann had already emphasized in the ZDF sports studio that Musiala was one of the most extraordinary players in world soccer. Now the national coach has once again spoken at length about the Bayern professional – this time at the start of the World Cup preparations
„He’s taken important steps in recent weeks. He does a lot of the right things intuitively – the important thing is that he plays freely and doesn’t think,“ explained Nagelsmann at the press conference
One statement from the national coach was particularly remarkable: „If Jamal plays at 70 percent, he’s still better than many others.“
Nagelsmann does not put Musiala under pressure
At the same time, the DFB coach made it clear that nothing should be rushed with the FC Bayern star: „It’s enough for me if he’s at 100 per cent for the first game. He still has a bit of time, we’re not putting him under pressure,“ Nagelsmann emphasized
The past few weeks in particular have shown that Musiala looks much more physically stable again, and Nagelsmann had recently emphasized how impressed he was that the attacking player is now consistently going into tackles again and can physically hold his own
Wirtz to take the pressure off Musiala
Florian Wirtz could also play an important role in this, with Nagelsmann seeing the Leverkusen star as the perfect partner for Musiala in the German attack
„In Flo Wirtz, we have a congenial partner at his side. He doesn’t have to create everything on his own. If both work well together, we are naturally better,“ explained the national coach
Germany’s first World Cup opponent is Curaçao – an opponent against whom Musiala could start the tournament with a sense of achievement, which could give the Bayern star additional self-confidence
A strong World Cup tournament could send Musiala into the preparations for the new season with plenty of tailwind.