Deniz Undav hails ‘Ribery-like’ Lennart Karl (18) after successful German national team debut | OneFootball

Young German phenom Lennart Karl has received plenty of praise following his senior German men’s national team debut. Called up to represent his country at the highest level not long after his 18th birthday, the Bayern Munich prodigy logged a total of 72 minutes as a substitute in the two March friendlies. 

Though he didn’t get his name on the scoresheet, Karl made a decent impression in both fixtures. German fans found themselves clamoring for Karl, particularly after a poor start from former Bayern attacker Leroy Sané on Karl’s preferred right-hand-side in the first match. 

Julian Nagelsmann praises Lennart Karl

“He gave his all and ran his heart out in both games,” German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann remarked at the second DFB post match press conference  “He made a great impression. Bold, but also humble. He has a natural gift for positioning himself well and moving effectively in space.

“He’s taken a few more small steps toward this team than he has at Bayern,” Nagelsmann continued. “He’s still at the beginning of the race. [I noticed] He didn’t need any time to warm up ahead of either of his substitute appearances.“

“Of all the young players we’ve called up over time, he’s made the best impression,” Nagelsmann concluded. 

Deniz Undav adds more praise

“Karl plays a bit like [Franck] Ribery,” newly re-instated German national team striker Deniz Undav of Stuttgart added in the mixed zone. “He’s a brutal player. He already very intuitive  plays with swagger, and brings a fresh energy.”

”I still need to get him to loosen up a bit off the pitch,” Undav joked in response to a later question about what Karl is still lacking. “But he’s a top player who is also humble despite having brutal quality for his age.

“I wish I’d had that kind of quality at his age,” Undav concluded. “Lennart is going to be a joy to watch for a very, very long time.”

GGFN | Peter Weis