Serge Gnabry has started off the season quite brightly for Bayern Munich, having already tallied one goal and three assists from the first four matches across all competitions, all of which were wins for the reigning Bundesliga champions (VfB Stuttgart, RB Leipzig, FC Augsburg). Germany national team manager Julian Nagelsmann recently praised Gnabry’s form thus far and said he is a mixture of hopeful
and confident that the winger can maintain a level of consistency this season that he has not been able to in the past couple of seasons, especially with the injury problems he’s had.
While Gnabry’s start to the season has been a breathe of fresh air for Bayern, Vincent Kompany, and Nagelsmann, in a recent interview with Bild, the former Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim and Arsenal man took time to sing one of his teammate’s praises — Michael Olise. The French international has picked up right where he left off last season, having already tallied four goals from Bayern’s first four matches. The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup win over Stuttgart has been the only match so far this season that he has not scored in, and he only played 45 minutes that match. He’s already on pace to match his twenty goals and twenty-three assists from fifty-five appearances across all competitions last season.
“He has enormous potential and is one of the best players in the world right now. I don’t know where his limit is. Michael can achieve everything. He can play centrally, keep the ball, and is a good 1v1 player. I didn’t know him that well [before he joined] and didn’t expect things to work like this,” Gnabry raved of his French teammate in the Bild interview.
What’s especially likeable about Olise is the humble nature and demeanor that comes with his incredible level of talent. He’s not loud in the press, he’s not overly-flashy, and he keeps himself level-headed, never getting too carried away with himself, which is something Gnabry greatly values in him. “Maybe it doesn’t seem that way sometimes, given the way he presents himself, but he has a very good mindset. Michael works hard, he’s a very good guy, very determined. That’s why I think he still has a lot of potential,” Gnabry enthused.
For the time being, even with Nicolas Jackson have joined the ranks on loan from Chelsea, Kompany will certainly be hoping for a solid level of consistency from both Gnabry and Olise. Jamal Musiala won’t be back in action until some time in November as things stand right now, so the pair of wingers will be getting increased minutes across all fronts.
