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Munich utility man Joshua Kimmich has credited Manchester City manager
Pep Guardiola for helping him to establish himself in the German club's
first team.
The 21-year-old made his first-team breakthrough under the Spanish tactician at the start of the 2015/16 campaign, in a first-round DFB Pokal clash with FC Nöttingen.
Kimmich went on to make a further 35 appearances in all competitions as the Bavarians claimed the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles.
Despite being most comfortable in a central midfield berth, the youngster excelled in the heart of defence, while he also staked his claim for the right-back position in Germany's senior team.
The former RB Leipzig player has explained that his meteoric rise to prominence for both club and country came as a result of Guardiola's guidance.
"When he noticed something, he said it to you directly and not a day or two later when the scene maybe isn't any longer as fresh in your mind," Kimmich told FAZ.
"That was definitely special about him, that he always told you straightaway what you can do to improve. In training as well.
"As a young player it's important that you have a manager that pays attention to these things. For Franck [Ribery] or Xabi [Alonso] it's no longer quite as important that they have someone to tell them what to do every day.
"But as a young player you need that to get to where Franck and Xabi already are."
He added: "At the start, in the first 10 games, I showed how important I can be for the team and I also scored some important goals.
"Obviously you hope you can play a bit more after that.
"But when I look at the whole first half of the season, I have got a lot of game time. More than a lot of people would have thought before the season started."
