The Austrian Football Association asked Paul Wanner, an early leap into the German U21s seemed realistic recently. Now the 16-year-old FC Bayern talent is set to continue playing for the U17s in the next international match period. The kicker knows the reasons.
He stays with the German U17s for the time being: Bayern talent Paul Wanner.
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Paul Wanner’s forthcoming appointment to the German U17s caused astonishment at FC Bayern and those around Wanner, as it was assumed that Antonio di Salvo’s U21s would be called up. According to kicker information, U-17 national coach Marc-Patrick Meister vehemently intervened and fought for Wanner to remain in his team.
Meister did not want to provide a reason on Friday, instead referring to the press office of the DFB, who wrote about Wanner’s nomination as follows: “Paul Wanner is an extraordinary talent and we are happy for him that his development at Bayern Munich is now was rewarded with his first appearances in the Bundesliga. Our common goal with Paul and the club is to continue to promote this talent in the best possible way. To do this, Paul needs a lot of ambition and challenges, but above all match practice and patience. He can get this match practice in the U 17, in a familiar environment.”
Stuttgart instead of Hoffenheim
In fact, match practice is important for the 16-year-old and indispensable for his development. Although he trains regularly in Julian Nagelsmann’s professional team, in 2022 he has not yet booked a game apart from the four substitutions with a total of 36 minutes playing time in the Bundesliga. That will change this weekend: According to kicker information, Wanner will not go to Hoffenheim, but will strengthen FC Bayern’s U19s in the semi-finals of the DFB Junior Cup, in which VfB Stuttgart are the opponents on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Other nations take different paths
While in other countries such as Spain great talents appear very early in older age groups, the DFB defends the path with Wanner in its statement to kicker: “The opportunity to get a taste of professional life in the club and at the same time to take on responsibility among peers at national team level as well as important We have made it possible for many players, together with the clubs, to obtain match practice at a competitive level in recent years. From our point of view, this is the most valuable for Paul’s individual development.”
The DFB refers to the example of Kai Havertz. However, the situation can change quickly, as the last sentence of the statement shows: “Of course we are constantly monitoring developments. If we all agree that a new challenge is good for Paul’s development, there is always the possibility to use him in later years.”
