Joshua Kimmich praised Lennart Karl’s bravery and self-confidence following Karl’s impactful scoring spree for Bayern Munich, discussing his potential Germany call-up and drawing comparisons to his own early national team experience after Bayern’s 3-0 win against Gladbach.
Lennart Karl has had quite the week. He started the scoring for Bayern on Wednesday in his first Champions League start with a shot from outside the box against Club Brugge. Saturday, he capped off Bayern’s scoring in domestic competition with another shot from outside the box and make it 3-0. After the match Joshua Kimmich — who wore the captain’s armband in Saturday’s match at Mönchengladbach — was asked about the season that Karl has had and his future with Germany’s senior national team.
Kimmich said this to the press — as reported by @iMiaSanMia — “Lenny is brave and self-confident – that definitely helps him. He’s at the beginning of his career. I hope he really enjoys this moment and this year – with little expectation and pressure. The most important thing for him now is that he consistently delivers his performances on the pitch.”
Kimmich also spoke about Karl being called up to the national team, and how it could be similar to his own journey. “I joined the national team after my first season at Bayern. Back then, it was still unusual for someone to make their international debut after four or five Bundesliga games. Nowadays, you get the feeling it can happen a bit faster. Of course, at a World Cup or even during the year, you always have the chance as a national team coach to bring players who are in good form. In any case, Lenny is on a very good path, and we will continue to support him.”
Lenny — still 17 years old — has ten appearances for Germany’s U16 team since September of last year and scored seven goals at that level.