It has been a whirlwind 24 hours for Jamal Musiala. The youngster scored for Bayern Munich in a crucial away leg of the round of 16 clash against Lazio in Rome on Tuesday. Early on Wednesday, Musiala confirmed that he will be playing for Germany instead of England.
Musiala has been subject to a tug of war between FA and DFB for the past few months. There has been consistent speculation surrounding his future as both football federations have been working hard to convince him.
During the last international break in November, Musiala even played a couple of games for England’s U-21 squad. Playing for England U-21s did hint that Musiala would commit to England. However, DFB was determined to convince him to commit his future to Germany.
Since the final decision is now made, Musiala is expected to be part of the German squad in the next international break at the end of March. With so much hype around the 17-year-old talent, Musiala has taken another big step in the right direction in his career by opting for Germany over England.
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Better chances of playing a big tournament soon with Germany
England currently has a very big group of young players that are flourishing in the Premier League. In Musiala’s position, there are multiple players such as Phil Foden, James Maddison, Jack Grealish ahead of him in the pecking order. Musiala would have to be very patient if he had opted for England.
Meanwhile, the German National team doesn’t have a very big pool of attacking players. Someone like Musiala is not going to be a definite starter right now, but he will have a much easier route into the main squad than he would have with England. If he continues to do well this season, then who knows Low may pick him for the Euros in summer.
Good chemistry with Bayern players at international and club level
There is a big German contingent in the current squad at Bayern. Musiala will be able to work with these players at the club level as well as on the international stage. Having the likes of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Niklas Sule, and Leon Goretzka in the locker rooms in Bavaria and the national team will help Musiala to adapt quickly to both systems.
Die Roten will also benefit from Musiala’s decision since he will be playing more with the club’s players at the international level, forming better chemistry and coordination. It is a well-thought decision that will help Musiala to achieve success at the club and international level.
Musiala’s long-term future at Bayern is also likely to be sorted soon. Once he turns 18 later this week, the club might confirm the new deal as Sky Sports are reporting that only the final details of the new contract need sorting. With both club and international future sorted, Musiala can firmly focus on the rest of the campaign.