Bayern Munich loanee Paul Wanner has excelled at Heidenheim this term, as last season’s surprise package looks to build on the success of its first Bundesliga campaign following promotion. Wanner has had Germany and Austria fans waiting with bated breath for his final decision on which country he chooses to represent. The player has had contact with head coaches from both teams, and in a recent call with Julian Nagelsmann he informed the manager that he wouldn’t be joining the squad for the upcoming international break.
Bild (via @iMiaSanMia) captured the player speaking about his development-centered decision, saying, “I think everyone knows that I have a great relationship with Julian, as we have known each other for a very long time and we are therefore in regular contact. I said weeks ago that I just want to develop as much as possible in the next few months and that I don’t want to concern myself with the topic of my international future. I just want to follow my path and my development. I’m looking forward to playing for Germany U-21s and establishing myself there. I want to continue my path there step by step. There’s far too much fuss about players who have the opportunity to play for two countries. I don’t want to take advantage of that, but I rather want to clearly and sustainably earn this status as a senior international player.”
Wanner’s choice to develop at a sustainable pace is wise. Far too often have football fans seen too high of expectations placed on a player too early in their career. While it can’t be known for certain if the resulting pressure is always the reason for underwhelming development, players like Youssoufa Moukoko can’t have benefitted from the massive expectations that were piled on him at Borussia Dortmund.
While he won’t say it directly, it seems as though Wanner’s committed to Germany, and any hesitance at this point may only exist in case he cannot reach a level good enough to star for Germany. Either way, this is a win for Germany fans, if he doesn’t live up to his potential his declaring for Austria won’t be a huge loss (especially with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala as permanent fixtures in the squad), and if he does Nagelsmann will have an excellent player on his hands.
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