Virgil Van Dijk heaps praise on Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule
Ahead of the game against Germany, Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijks praises Bayern Munich center-back Niklas Sule.
Bayern Munich struggled to find a desired level of consistency last season despite winning the domestic double. However, there were some players in the Die Roten’s lineup that consistently delivered top performances week in week out.
Niklas Sule falls into this category of players at Bayern. The German international was a key player for Niko Kovac last season. He has progressed well since joining Die Roten from Hoffenheim in 2017 summer transfer window. Bayern fought off competition from top European clubs such as Chelsea to sign Sule.
Jerome Boateng is way down the pecking order, while Mats Hummels left the club in summer to join Borussia Dortmund. As a consequence, Sule has now become the senior center-back in the starting lineup. The German wants to grab this opportunity with both hands and become the leader in defense.
Sule’s performances have not gone unnoticed in Europe as Virgil Van Dijk heaps praise on the young defender. Ahead of Netherland’s game against Germany on Friday, Van Dijk told media (via Bundesliga.com) that Sule is a great defender.
"“Niklas Süle is a great defender.”“He doesn’t play for Bayern for without reason. I’ve already had some nice battles with him.”"
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Bayern eased Sule into the starting lineup when he arrived from Hoffenheim in 2017. Boateng and Hummels were first-choice defenders under Carlo Ancelotti and Jupp Heynckes, but slowly and steadily Sule made his way into the starting lineup.
After Kovac’s arrival at Bayern, Sule stamped his authority in the starting lineup by delivering good performance regularly. Die Roten have got a bargain on their hands considering the rate at which Sule has progressed in the last two years. His peak years are ahead of him and Bayern will be looking to extend his contract this season amidst reported interest from Manchester United.
The German will have new defensive partners this season. Die Roten smashed their transfer record to sign Lucas Hernandez from Atletico Madrid, while Benjamin Pavard also arrived from VfB Stuttgart this summer. Sule has looked comfortable with Hernandez in the past two games. The Bundesliga champions will be hoping that this duo become a solid partnership at that back to achieve the club’s current and future goals.
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Meanwhile, Leon Goretzka is set to miss both the games for Germany in this international break. Joachim Low confirmed on Thursday that Goretzka has returned to Bayern due to a minor injury. The German midfielder had returned to first-team training last week after missing two Bundesliga games due to thigh injury.