Bavarian Loan Works: Adrian Fein voted player of the match in Germany U21’s 2-0 win over Greece U21

Adrian Fein was voted by fans on the DFB’s official website as player of the match for the German U-21 side in their 2-0 friendly win over Greece on Thursday, September 5th. The 20-year-old midfielder wasn’t on the score sheet, but his 45-minute shift was recognized by the fans as the best of the squad managed by Stefan Kuntz. Lukas Nmecha and former Bayern Munich midfielder Niklas Dorsch were the goal-scorers on the night for the Germans.

Fein received an overwhelming majority of the votes at 75.6%, over Salih Özcan (Holstein Kiel) at 5.7% and Louis Beyer (Borussia Monchengladbach) at 3.5%. It was a clear, concrete consensus that Fein was the best player on the pitch by far for Germany, even if it was only a friendly fixture.

Since Fein joined Hamburg on loan this summer from Bayern Munich’s reserves, he has established himself as a regular starter for Hamburg. He has started and played the full 90 minutes in all 5 of their 2. Liga matches thus far. Additionally, Fein started and played 120 minutes in Hamburg’s DFB-Pokal clash against Chemnitzer FC, which they won on penalties. Fein has quickly established himself as one of the most reliable players in the squad in the center of midfield for Dieter Hecking, whose side is currently at the top of the 2. Liga table on 13 points after five matches played.

From a Bayern perspective, it’s refreshing to see another loan player from the reserves get valuable experience in a consistent starting role, especially since it has warranted his inclusion on the German U-21 squad. Hopefully Fein’s influential performances for both club and country continue.