Official | Former Bayern Munich prodigy Paul Wanner switches national allegiance to Austria | OneFootball

Former Bayern Munich talent Paul Wanner has officially opted to represent Austria internationally in the future. The current PSV Eindhoven professional put an end to nearly two years of speculation on Friday, telling Sky that he would switch his allegiance to the ÖFB after collected 27 caps for Germany at U21 level and below. 

Paul Wanner last appeared for the Germany U21s in October

After his latest Germany U21 call up, Wanner remained on the fence as to which country he would commit to. The 20-year-old himself was quick to quash rumors that he officially committed to Ralf Rangnick and the ÖFB back in late January. Now, with it very much apparent that he plays no role in the future plans of Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann, the attacker who gave up on Bayern this autumn has also given up on the DFB. 

Wanner’s statement

“This decision was probably the most difficult one in my career,” Wanner told Sky. “Because of my parents, my upbringing, and my career so far, I have two hearts beating in my chest. I feel incredibly honored that two associations tried to convince me to play for their national team.

“I enjoyed being part of the German junior national teams,” Wanner continued. “But now, after many discussions with my family, I have decided that I want to play for Austria. I realize that I must fight to earn my World Cup nomination and am determined to do so.

“All the discussions [with the two FAs] were fair, open, and frank,” Wanner concluded. “There was never any pressure and there were never any guarantees [about playing time]. It all came down to how I felt.“

GGFN | Peter Weis