Jürgen Klopp had some big decisions to make this week with his squad selection, but perhaps one call-up that no one saw coming was Borussia Mönchengladbach's 17-year-old Wael Mohya. The German youth talent is a remarkable prospect, though he hasn't received massive recognition just yet—certainly not outside of Germany.
What makes this pick even more interesting is that Bild reported Mohya had actually switched his allegiance to Morocco back in July. It is certainly an intriguing turn of events, but great news for the German national team to seemingly secure a top dual-national talent. Hopefully, it is a good indication of the kinds of opportunities Klopp offers to young talents.
Klopp was asked about this significant call-up and gave his thoughts on the Bayern Munich transfer target .
"He's one of those cases where you simply have to take notice. There aren't many 17-year-olds currently playing in the Bundesliga. That alone is an outstanding achievement. But he's also doing well – really well. I've been in contact with both him and his family, and we've discussed how we want to approach things. I'm really keen to build the future together with these boys, including Wael, without making any promises or anything like that. I'd say I've been looking after young, highly talented individuals for quite some time, and it's something I really enjoy. I told the Mohya family that, and we agreed to bring him, essentially to give him a taste of things. It's about letting him experience the training sessions firsthand, because I think that's important when you have the opportunity. Of course, it will always depend on his performances in training. That's only logical. But it's also about seeing how a young guy conducts himself, both on and off the pitch, and having conversations with him. I've had three conversations with him so far, and they've all been excellent, I have to say. I wasn't as self-confident as he is at 17, but then again, I wasn't as good as he is at 17 either! So I'm really looking forward to having Wael with us," Klopp stated, as captured by @iMiaSanMia .
Mohya will be in elite territory in terms of young players who have received a senior national team call-up, and it is a major sign that Klopp believes in the Gladbach talent. While Mohya is nowhere close to hitting his massive ceiling, it will be interesting to see what kind of immediate impact he can make.
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