Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has cast doubts over one of the Premier League's most in-form midfielders, claiming he is "not exceptionally strong in the air" and "not a top ball-winner either".
Nagelsmann is weighing up his options ahead of this summer's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
He will be able to select 26 players to represent Germany at the tournament, and based on a recent interview with Kicker, it appears Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah are guaranteed a place on the plane.
“I think they’ve done a very good job and are very consistent in the league," he said. "Jonathan had a difficult start at Bayern, but he’s been very consistent ever since. And Schlotti, as I’ve already said, is an extremely important player for us."
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In the interview, Nagelsmann also gave his thoughts on several players from the Premier League, including Florian Wirtz, Nick Woltemade and Anton Stach.
Stach, who joined Leeds United from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in the summer for a reported £17 million, has enjoyed a superb start to life at Elland Road and ranks amongst the Premier League's most in-form midfielders, as seen below.
However, the German has not done enough to catch the eye of Nagelsmann, who delivered a no-nonense assessment when discussing Stach's all-round game.
"He’s doing well there (at Leeds), but he’s not exceptionally strong in the air and not a top ball-winner either. He’s also someone who prefers to have the game in front of him," said Nagelsmann.
"In my view, his best position at Hoffenheim was the central role in a back three, from where he could drop into the No 6 position.”
After the comments emerged in Monday's print edition of Kicker, plenty of fans questioned Nagelsmann's take.
One said: "A genuinely laughable assessment from an elite coach. How on earth has he come to this verdict??"
A second wrote: "Based on this, he can’t have watched a single minute of Stach this year. He’s been consistently excellent at both winning the ball, and aerial duals in the best league in the world. His chance creation and set piece taking is fantastic too."
A third commented: "That’s an unbelievable statement. Has he ever actually watched him play?" and a fourth said: "So basically he hasn’t watched him."
A fifth added: "Probably doesn't rate him because he plays for Leeds. If he played for one of the top 5 clubs, he'll be the first name on his list."
Thoughts on Nagelsmann's comments about Stach? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Germany, Julian Nagelsmann, FIFA World Cup, Premier League
Jack Kenmare