Ron Thorben-Hoffmann talks about working with Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich and his decision to move to England

Ron Thorben-Hoffmann, who was loaned to Sunderland AFC by Bayern Munich about four months back, sat down with The Athletic recently to share his different experiences playing in Germany and England. The 22-year-old made his debut for Sunderland on September 11^th against Accrington Stanley. Talking about his life and career at Bayern, Hoffmann shared in detail his experiences working with Manuel Neuer.

The youngster is a huge admirer of the Bayern captain and is inspired by Neuer’s commitment and hunger. He said (via @iMiaSanMia), “Apart from him being a very nice person, it was crazy to watch how good he is in every training session. He doesn’t want to concede goals in training, even in goalkeepers training. He’s always in a bad mood when he concedes. He’s so quick on his feet, his reflexes. He’s a great captain, a leader, that’s definitely something you could take away.”

The decision to agree to a loan wasn’t made overnight. Hoffmann, just like every other player, has always prioritized getting to actually play. He was fully convinced that the journey from the third division to the European spotlight would be a tough ride.

“You can’t make the step of playing for Bayern’s under-23s in the German third division to playing in the Champions League in front of 80,000 people, it’s not possible. As an outfield player, it is possible like you see with Jamal Musiala. But as a goalkeeper, it’s not possible. So, we talked (with Manuel Neuer) about what would be good next. He told me playing is the most important”, said Hoffmann.

From there, Hoffmann mad his leap and has been thriving. Hoffmann has 22 goals allowed in 17 appearances with five clean sheets at Sunderland.