Bayern Munich had a very brief pre-season due to their participation in the Club World Cup at the end of the season. The biggest positive of the three pre-season friendlies was the performance of young players, such as Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi Asare. Both players were on the scoresheet for Bayern in two games.
Karl has been rewarded with a new contract. Bayern rate him highly as they look to give adequate game time this season as a backup to Michael Olise on the right flank. He came on in the dying minutes during the Franz Beckenbauer Cup against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Jonah Kusi Asare sealed the fate of his immediate future by delivering impressive performances during the pre-season friendly games. According to Sky Sports in Germany, Bayern have decided to keep Asare at the club for next season. The young striker has been attracting interest from several clubs on loan.
The Bundesliga champions had signed Asare from AIK Solna in January, 2024. The youngster has shone for the youth teams, which eventually led to his promotion to the first team.
Bayern believes that Asare can be used as a deputy for Harry Kane. Considering the number of attackers that have left Bayern this summer, it makes sense to keep their top young players around the squad. Asare may end up getting cameos from the bench when Bayern are chasing games.
Training with first team will aide Asare's development
Harry Kane has played the majority of games since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023. The English striker has been in exceptional form for Die Roten. He has started the campaign in the best possible way by scoring against VfB Stuttgart in the Franz Beckenbauer Cup on Saturday.
The former Spurs striker is expected to start most of the games for Die Roten. In such circumstances, Asare is unlikely to get many starts. However, he can get minutes from the bench. Even if he doesn't get significant game time, just training with the first team will be a great learning curve for him. The youngster can add a lot to his game by training with Kane, who is probably one of the best strikers of his generation.
Bayern have been criticized for not integrating young players into the first team over the last few years. However, the upcoming season provides them a great opportunity to help Lennart Karl and Asare to get hold off the senior football.