Nathaniel Brown is increasingly developing into an all-around player at FC Bayern. In the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart, Vincent Kompany once again deployed the natural outside back in a much more offensive role. After the game, the Bayern coach explained his long-term plans for the 23-year-old.
Kompany had already surprised everyone by playing Brown in the number 10 position during the Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund. The plan paid off: The new signing scored his first competitive goal for Munich in the 2-1 victory. Signs that Brown could also be an option in the attacking midfield had already emerged during preseason. After the Super Cup, Kompany praised him as a player who moves “incredibly well between the lines.”
Against Stuttgart, Brown was once again able to demonstrate his versatility. After the match, however, Kompany made it clear that the German international was originally signed for a different role.
Kompany: “We signed him as a fullback.”
“We signed Nene Brown as a fullback. We know he can play on the left, and he can play on the right as well,” Kompany explained after the Bundesliga match against Stuttgart.
According to the Bayern coach, the fact that Brown is currently playing further up the field is primarily due to the tight personnel situation on offense. “Right now, he’s needed a bit further up the field because we don’t have Jamal, we don’t have Serge, and Lenny has just returned. Most of the time, these are logical decisions, and we’re lucky that Nene is handling it well.”
This suggests that, in the long term, Brown is primarily intended to play as a fullback. At the same time, the 23-year-old has shown in his first few weeks in Munich that Kompany can fall back on an additional option for the offensive positions when needed. When signing him, Bayern had also explicitly highlighted Brown’s versatility.
Brown: “I don’t really care where.”
Brown himself makes no secret of the fact that he’s perfectly comfortable with his new role. For him, one thing is paramount: getting as much playing time as possible.
“I just want to get my playing time. I don’t really care where—whether as a number 10, on the left, or on the right. Of course, left fullback is my favorite position, but I feel comfortable anywhere,” emphasized the new signing.
Brown also says he benefits from the quality of his new teammates: “The team helps me with that because we simply have such outstanding players. That makes it easier to play in different positions on this team.”
Kompany now has a player on the roster who opens up numerous tactical possibilities for him. While Brown’s preferred position remains left back, his first appearances in a Bayern jersey have already shown that he can be much more than just a classic left back.