Germany’s Serge Gnabry (30) ready to lead ‘just like Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, and Thomas Müller’ led him | OneFootball

Bayern Munich attacker Serge Gnabry – one of the few bright spots for the German national team over the September international break – is settling into his new role as one of German football’s “elder statesmen” with ease. The now 30-year-old Bundesliga professional spoke on mentoring the younger generation at a Thursday DFB press event.

Gnabry prepares to return to one of his old stomping grounds. Germany get set to host the Luxembourg national team at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – after the infamous stints at Arsenal, West Brom, and Werder Bremen – was the last station Gnabry worked at before finally clicking with the German record champions.

After Bayern purchased Gnabry from Bremen (for €8m no less), they immediately loaned him out to work under current Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann at the Sinsheimers. The year at Hoffenheim would prove Gnabry’s last year of working as an underachiever. Three years after departing Kraichgau, Gnabry became a €90m-valued player.

Every bit of mentorship helped.

Though some would say that the Stuttgart-native never fully realized his massive potential, Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany made clear from the outset this year that Gnabry was a “very underrated and highly appreciated player“. In his new No. 10 role for club, Gnabry hasn’t disappointed. Three goals and three assists through six matchdays counts as an excellent haul.

“Serge feels a lot of confidence and goes into games feeling very liberated,” Nagelsmann noted at the DFB press conference. “It’s clear that it’s good for his game, because he’s not someone who worries much. Serge is in great shape physically after having had a few niggles in the past. The Bundesliga season has been going very, very well for Serge so far.”

“Goals and assists naturally help an attacking player to feel a certain lightness,” Gnabry himself added. “You get into a flow and don’t worry too much about whether you’ll play again in the next game. I want to bring my form to this team.

“I’m also trying to use my experience to help out the younger players,” Gnabry said of his new leadership role. “Just like Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, and Thomas Müller helped me out when I was younger.“

GGFN | Peter Weis