"He is fantastic" - Hansi Flick heaps praise on Germany star despite FIFA World Cup exit

Germany manager Hansi Flick has heaped praise on midfielder Jamal Musiala after their elimination from the FIFA World Cup.

Die Mannschaft were knocked out of the group stages of the FIFA World Cup for the second consecutive edition as they failed to maneuver their way to the knockouts from a group comprising Spain, Costa Rica, and Japan.

They were first handed a 2-1 defeat by Japan in their tournament opener before a 1-1 draw with Spain left them needing a miracle to book a Round-of-16 spot.

Though they defeated Costa Rica 4-2 in their final group-stage encounter, Japan's win over Spain meant they were knocked out of the tournament.

Bayern Munich's 19-year-old attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala emerged as a star for them as he impressed during their short stay in Qatar. The teenager provided an assist in three matches in the tournament and Flick was all praise for him.

Flick said:

"It is very difficult after such a match to single one player out, but what Jamal showed against Costa Rica -- it's just unfortunate that such a player can't continue to play in the tournament. He is fantastic."

He added:

"His skill in the tackles, the one on ones, he's outstanding, and the next couple of years, we do have talents in our team, we are heading in the right direction. But we really have to focus on the training. Jamal has been trained in England, not in Germany," Flick said after the Costa Rica encounter.

Flick also highlighted the need for Germany to train their youngsters well, keeping the future in mind.

"We have players at top clubs and we do have qualities -- Kai Havertz is a top player, for example. But for the future of German football, we need to do things differently in training. For years we have talked about new types of goalkeepers and wing-backs. Germany always used to be able to defend well, and we need the basics again."

He further noted:

"Spain are very good in defense, they train young players very well. For the future and next 10 years, it will be very important to focus on the new generation of footballers."

Germany knocked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup despite 4-2 win over Costa Rica

Germany went into their final FIFA World Cup group-stage match against Costa Rica knowing only a win would leave them with a fighting chance to make the knockouts.

While they emerged with all three points in a topsy-turvy encounter, it was Japan's win over Spain that proved to be fatal.

The Samurai Blue defeated both the European giants in their group to take the top spot and book a Round-of-16 encounter against Croatia. Spain finished second in the table and will now play Morocco in the FIFA World Cup last 16.