Celtic star Nicolas Kuhn’s form this season has even caught the attention of Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, who has namedropped the star as someone he is keeping a watchful eye on.
Truthfully, it isn’t surprising that his national team are alert to his progress. Having registered ten goals and 11 assists in 17 appearances this season, the £2.8 million January signing is proving to be quite the asset under Brendan Rodgers.
Still, Julian Nagelsmann’s admission that Nicolas Kuhn is on Germany’s radar does feel significant. For a man who struggled to make an immediate impact at Parkhead last term, his upturn in fortunes has become the story of the campaign.
Speaking about his potential for a call-up, Nagelsmann explained: “Kuhn is also a good player with a lot of desire. He’s someone we’re keeping an eye on. But calling up a new player always means excluding another.
Despite talk of such a special personal achievement appearing out of nowhere, the Celtic talisman has now opened up on how he feels about the comments and how he plans to fulfil his wider career ambitions.
Celtic star Nicolas Kuhn reacts to Julian Nagelsmann address
Speaking to Sky Sports, Kuhn has admitted he is flattered to receive praise from the Germany boss and has attributed his contribution in the Champions League, especially in the Bhoys’ victory over Leipzig, as a potential defining factor to achieve his goal.
He stated, firstly referencing Nagelsmann’s comments and how he feels about them: “Really good, I think that’s what we play for and the focus is now on Celtic, but of course that’s a goal of mine.
When asked how much of an aim a Germany call-up is for him, Kuhn continued: “I said a couple of years ago already the goal is to play in the national team. The first goal was the Champions League; I made the dream come true. We will see.”
On scoring against Leipzig, he finished by saying: “Yeah! And not just any German team; it was my former club that was even better. After, I talked with some of the guys from there and it was really nice.”
Nicolas Kuhn will want to prove his Germany credentials
On the face of it, there probably wouldn’t be too many Celtic fans that would dispute Kuhn’s current status as the form player in Rodgers’ starting line-up, but he will need to continue his excellent run to stand a genuine chance of international recognition.
Germany exist as one of Europe’s elite nations and will be keen to win the Nations League title before building towards the World Cup in 2026.
Competition in their ranks is also fierce, with the likes of Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Florian Wirtz all coming to attention as serious options across the front four.
Nevertheless, Kuhn won’t let anything faze him with the opportunity that could potentially be staring him in the face. The onus is now on him to show why he deserves to be in with a fighting chance.
