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Just under 24 hours after being an unused sub in the Bayern Munich squad that beat RB Leipzig 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final, Alphonso Davies started and played the full 90 minutes in Bayern II’s dramatic 4-1 win over Wolfsburg II. The win gave Bayern’s reserves promotion to the 3. Liga, overturning a 3-1 aggregate from the first leg at Wolfsburg, which is a massive step forward with regards to Bayern’s continued growth of youth development.
Grandiose Aufholjagd der #FCBAmateure VfL Wolfsburg II#ZurückInLiga3 #BayernAmateure #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/1ogWdQPugh
— FC Bayern Campus (@FCBjuniorteam) May 27, 2019
Uli Hoeness and a handful of Bayern’s first team players were in attendance at the Grünwalder Stadion to watch the Davies and the reserve side clinch promotion to the 3. Liga. The 18-year-old put in an impressive shift fresh off of celebrating the domestic double in Berlin with the rest of the Bayern squad, though he admits he still got enough sleep ahead of the vital clash (via Pro Soccer USA):
I got quite a bit of sleep. Yeah, I went out and hung out with the guys, but I went back to the hotel at a reasonable time. This game was very important, not just the German Cup final.
Hoeness said that such important occasions don’t require much sleep, at least for the younger players:
When it comes to important matters, you don’t need sleep. Especially when you are young.
The Bayern president also had plenty of praise for Davies and sees a lot of promise in the the 18-year old, tipping him to succeed with Bayern:
Davies is a great lad, who I like a lot. He is developing and I am 100 percent sure that with him, we have a player who will be excellent at Bayern one day.
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Despite experiencing some setbacks this season between injury problems and, at one point, being dropped from the first team squad, Davies was happy to hear the kind words of encouragement from Hoeness:
It is good [to hear this]. Obviously, they didn’t want to rush me, slowly build me up and get me some game time and get comfortable on the ball. Coming as a kid from Canada and now playing for one of the best teams in the world is difficult at first, but they took their time with me, and their plan was a good one.
Working alongside Leroy Sane in the future?
With the departures of both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, Bayern’s midfield leaves behind two massive spots to be filled. While Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry have been Niko Kovac’s preferred first choice wingers, Bayern have been linked with various talents heading into the summer transfer window. The most recent on that list is Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, who Bayern have shown keen interest in signing. The German international is coming off of a domestic treble-winning season under Pep Guardiola with the citizens, but hasn’t perhaps played as much as he would’ve wanted to under the Spanish mastermind.
Davies said the Bayern’s coaches and front office see something in Sane, just as they saw something in him before signing him from the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps:
They see something in him. They saw something in me. That is why they brought me in, and probably him. Sané is a top-class winger playing for a top country. I can learn from him.
Perhaps Davies knows something more than we do? Regardless, it’s no secret that Sane has been a big topic inside Bayern’s dressing room, with the majority of the squad excited at the prospect of adding the 23-year-old to the midfield.