Another Bayern Munich youngster on the verge of a first-team breakthrough?

According to a report by Goal.com (yes, yes, I know — but they did this in collaboration with SPOX) Bayern Munich could soon have another youth team prospect getting minutes with the first team. Malik Tillman, younger brother of Greuther Furth midfielder Timothy Tillman, has apparently impressed Julian Nagelsmann.

“Malik is a very, very good playmaking striker,” Nagelsmann told Goal and Spox. “He has the gift of spotting spaces and can score goals.” Tillman has been training regularly with the first team for several weeks now, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Robert Lewandowski on a regular basis. If there’s any deficiencies left to his game, then it’s this:

Off the field, meanwhile, he is described by Nagelsmann as being ”very quiet and introverted,” with the ex-RB Leipzig boss keen for Tillman to “come out of his shell a bit more and be a ‘scumbag’”.

Ummm, okay coach.

Tillman recently signed a pro contract with Bayern until 2024 despite coming off a lengthy injury, showing the faith the club have in him. The Bavarians have been keen on promoting more youth talent in recent years, with players like Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Chris Richards (now on loan at Hoffenheim) all making the jump to first team action. If Tillman does indeed continue to impress, he could be the next one to make the breakthrough.

Where would he play, though? The striker position is covered. Playing there seems unlikely, given that Bayern have both Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Lewandowski for the role, but the youngster could also get some minutes subbing in for Thomas Muller from time-to-time. Tillman was originally an attacking midfielder, after all. He should also be able to slot in on the wings or as an attacking box-to-box if needed.

Let’s hope his development keeps progressing at a positive rate. It would be great to see more academy players on the first team at Bayern.