by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann followed the recent Bundesliga matchday with particular interest.
Ahead of the UEFA Nations League encounters against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary, the 37-year-old was pleased to witness a key player's breakthrough to a new level, as Jamal Musiala has become the German coach's most important factor on the way to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 21-year-old Bayern Munich forward's performance against St. Pauli added another chapter to his stunning journey to the top.
"He can score, we knew that. But now he is adding headers and long-distance shots. He is a football artist with ruthless gunner's genes," Thomas Muller said after Musiala's shot from over 30 meters helped Bayern come through.
Having increased his value to a reported 140 million euros, Musiala seems to head for new borders.
"I have made important steps. In the past, goals and assists were often missing. Now I feel fitter and able to deliver games on a high level regularly," the forward said.
Musiala claimed that his winning goal was the result of intense training efforts "as we practiced these long-distance shots in our training sessions."
Following several scoring headers, Musiala seems to complete the picture on his way to a world-class performer.
Naturally, the youngster's high fly has opened doors to speculations about his future, as media reports speak of the growing interest of leading European clubs to sign him.
Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool are said to eye the Bayern attacker, who has a contract until 2026.
As a response, Bayern is reported to be preparing a new contract which comes along with a significant pay rise to a salary of over 20 million euros per season, taking him near the team's top earner Harry Kane (25 million).
"We are optimistically working on it," said Bayern board member Max Eberl, while sporting director Christoph Freund spoke about Musiala as the club's future figurehead.
While the Bayern striker missed Germany's latest international matches due to an injury, his return allows the reunion of the country's powerful axis of him and Leverkusen attacker Florian Wirtz.
Ahead of Monday's training session, Nagelsmann spoke about his youngsters as the team's anchor.
"They play an exceptional role for us after they understood that seriousness is required next to all of the enchanting youthfulness they have," the coach said. ■
