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Bayern Munich took their share of injury hits at the FIFA World Cup, but for those players who weren’t a part of the tournament, the Winterpause has been an opportunity to put in extra work behind the scenes and away from the normal pressures of game weeks.
One such player, seventeen-year-old Mathys Tel, could be poised to make a big leap for the second half of his first season in Bavaria. Via Az’s Maximilian Koch:
Mathys Tel could be the positive surprise of the second half of the season. Internally, Bayern are extremely happy with the Frenchman's development. It is said that he listens to advice and trains very hard, which goes down very well with the coaching staff [@_kochmaximilian] pic.twitter.com/O6wkVR30ni
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) December 23, 2022
Additionally, Koch reports that Tel is considered — for now — a left winger in Julian Nagelsmann’s setup. From these positions he’s able to invert and score on goal, like Sadio Mané, as well as make the most of his one-on-one qualities in space, like Kingsley Coman. However, his pathway might eventually lead him back to the nine, which may be why Bayern bought him in the first place:
At the moment, Tel is mainly considered more of a left winger than a striker. That's where he can best exploit his pace and dribbling skills, cut inside and look for a shot. But at the same time, he is believed to be able to develop into a real #9 in the future [@_kochmaximilian]
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) December 23, 2022
With Sadio Mané out injured for a while, Tel has an early opportunity to split time with Coman and stamp his mark on the Bayern Rückrunde. He’s already drawn some comparisons to PSG’s Kylian Mbappé. It may only be a matter of time before he’ll get his chances to show that on the field.
The Champions League stage against Mbappé’s PSG would be a fitting place to start.
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