Lennart Karl’s Germany call-up is another major milestone in the young Bayern Munich midfielder’s rapidly developing career, and Jürgen Klopp is clearly excited about what he sees in the 18-year-old.

However, the Germany head coach also offered some important perspective on Karl’s development, pointing out that his journey has not been entirely straightforward. After suffering an injury and experiencing some fluctuations in form, Karl has had to work his way back toward his best. Klopp believes the youngster is heading in the right direction and was particularly impressed with his recent performance against Atlético Madrid, including his ability to operate in a more central position.

Klopp had plenty to say about Karl’s development and why Germany wants to be involved in his continued progress.

“The boy is a top talent. Let’s turn the clock back a year. When he got injured, the whole of Germany was asking: ‘What happens now?’ And then he experienced what you might call fluctuations in form. But look, first of all, recovering from an injury is difficult for anyone. I’ve never seen a player come back from an injury and immediately be a class above where he was before. You need time to rediscover your rhythm, regain your confidence, get your body back to where it needs to be, and then rediscover your feel for the game,” said Klopp (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “He’s on a good path, and he scored a really clever goal; I really liked what I saw from him in Madrid. He also played in a different position, centrally, which is important for us to know that the boy is capable of doing that. He’s one of the players we’d very much like to work with. Of course, that’s not our primary responsibility, as it’s ultimately the club’s job, but we’d like to support him in his development and contribute wherever we can.”

There are a couple of particularly encouraging things here.

First, Klopp is not judging Karl solely on his latest performances. He understands that young players need time, particularly after injuries, and that development is rarely a straight line.

Second, his comments about Karl playing centrally are intriguing. Bayern has an incredibly exciting attacking talent on its hands, and additional positional versatility could make him even more valuable to Vincent Kompany’s setup.

Perhaps most importantly, Klopp clearly wants to help Karl develop rather than simply throw him into the international spotlight.

The call-up is a fantastic reward, but it is only the beginning. Bayern Munich supporters have every reason to be excited about what comesnext for this kid.