Lucas Hernandez as a leader? Dayot Upamecano to develop? Former Bayern Munich defender Thomas Helmer has takes

Former Bayern Munich defender Thomas Helmer recently sat down for an interview with Abendzeitung and had some thoughts about the ability of Lucas Hernandez to become the squad’s defensive leader.

“I’m very skeptical about that. Sometimes I don’t like his game that much. Provoking the opponent may be the right thing to do. But he also makes such hidden fouls. I’m not a fan of his so far. Something is missing there. For me, he’s not the head of defense at Bayern Munich,” Helmer said.

While Helmer does not seem enthralled with Hernandez, the former defender has hope for Dayot Upamecano to eventually develop into a good player.

“In terms of potential, I find him outstanding. He has everything for a perfect central defender: physique, speed, can play a good ball. But he has now also noticed that he is no longer in Leipzig but with Bayern. The competition is greater there, the requirements are different. Maybe he’s also missing (Ibrahima) Konaté, whom he had as a partner in Leipzig. But you have to manage that. I still think he’s a really good player,” said Helmer. “That’s also the job of Julian Nagelsmann, who knows him. It has to be said that it hasn’t worked at all this season. But I have high hopes that it will work out with Upamecano at some point.”