Germany captain Joshua Kimmich responds to criticism of Deniz Undav and Leroy Sané | OneFootball

German national team captain Joshua Kimmich has offered up his thoughts on the two main storylines emerging from Germany’s over Ghana; Leroy Sané and Deniz Undav. The DFB skipper – acutely aware of his job as the team’s leader – naturally did his best to be supportive of both players.

Sané and Undav featured as substitutes last night, ultimately combining on the 88th-minute game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory. It nevertheless still isn’t entirely clear as to whether the pair will make the World Cup squad to be selected less than two months from now. 

Joshua Kimmich on Germany’s two ‘super subs’

“For us it’s important to have players outside the starting XI that can make a difference,” Kimmich remarked in the mixed zone when asked about Undav. “That’s obviously true outside the topic of Deniz as a whole. It’s still very important that we have Deniz.“

“I found him to be very engaging on the pitch today,” Kimmich answered in response to a later question about Sané. “He was headed towards goal with every touch. As the match drew to a close, he initiated plenty of attacks.

“He laid off a nice opportunity for me and set up the second goal,” Kimmich continued. “That’s what we expect from him; that he plays the type of football that can help us. He should be meeting the expectations of the fans too.

“There’s lots of positives when it comes to Leroy,” Kimmich concluded. “He just cares about us winning. He’s not selfish or egotistical at all. This perception isn’t fair. He knows he has my endorsement and the team’s endorsement.“

GGFN | Peter Weis