Oliver Bierhoff reveals positive discussions with Jamal Musiala in bid to play for Germany instead of England

In a recent appearance on Bild Live, German national team director Oliver Bierhoff said there have been positive discussions with Bayern Munich starlet Jamal Musiala to try and convince him to play for Die Mannschaft instead of England (Sport1).

Joachim Low has been working hard to try and convince Musiala to choose Germany over Gareth Southgate’s England side, and he even met with the player and his mother after Bayern’s 4-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim at the end of last month.

“We had a very good and open conversation [with Jamal], now let’s wait and see how the boy decides from the heart which country he plays for,” Bierhoff said on Bild Live. “We clearly showed him what we think of him and that we are convinced that he can and will become a national player, but that is a very personal decision.”

Musiala’s positive performances for Bayern have also warranted discussions for a contract extension with the club. He is slated for an extension that will keep him at the club until 2025 and see him earn roughly €100,000 a week, though it was reported last month that salary is not that big of an issue for the 17-year-old. Still, though, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said he sees this imminent contract extension with Bayern as something that will help nudge him in the direction of choosing Germany over England at the international level. “This contract extension could also result in an advantage for the German national team,” Rummenigge recently told Sport1.

Bierhoff went on to explain how important it is for Low and the rest of the coaching staff for Germany and the DFB to fight for the younger players coming through the system, which has been a focus of Low’s in the fallout of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. “It’s extremely important for us, we have one or two problems with the youngsters and have to fight for players. [Jamal is] an exceptional player. He has already indicated his quality and it will go his way like Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) if he plays continuously.”