“He was maybe a little nervous”

Vincent Kompany has shared his thoughts on 17-year-old Lennart Karl’s performance in his first start for Bayern.

17-year-old Lennart Karl made his first start for Bayern Munich in their 3–2 DFB-Pokal win over 3. Liga side Wehen Wiesbaden on Tuesday.

The highly-rated attacking midfielder played 67 minutes before being replaced by Serge Gnabry.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany believed Karl appeared a little nervous at first but grew into the game.

“In the first few minutes, he lost three, four, or five balls, which was a bit typical. He was maybe a little nervous. But then he got better and better. His best phase was in the second half,” Kompany said after the match.

“We are staying completely calm with him. He can’t do anything wrong at the moment – no young player can. The expectation is always that the experienced players secure the wins, and the young players simply show that they can help us – now or in the future.”

Kompany added that Karl has impressed with both his talent and his work ethic.

“That’s why there’s no pressure on him. Only the positive is important right now. Hopefully, he will play many games for us in the future – and then the pressure will come for him too,” the Bayern coach added.

Karl has also featured at the Club World Cup and came on in Bayern’s 6–0 Bundesliga opener against RB Leipzig last week.