Boateng wants Flick as permanent Bayern boss

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Veteran Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng said on Tuesday he would like interim coach Hansi Flick to be appointed on a full-time basis.

Flick, 54, took over at the Allianz Arena in November after Niko Kovac was sacked and club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said he would wait until the winter break to make a decision.

“I believe each one of us would be happy to continue with Hansi,” the 2014 World Cup winner told Munich newspaper Abendzeitung.

“He gets along well with everyone. The team is delighted with him but it’s not our choice,” he added.

Under Flick’s stewardship, Bayern have already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League but are six points behind Bundesliga leaders Leipzig.

“Hansi on a human level is excellent. He has a good feeling with us. He is very respectful with us the players, with those who are playing like with those who don’t,” Boateng, who has started half of Flick’s eight games in charge, said.

“He gives everyone the impression that they are important to the team, and in a club like Bayern Munich, it holds a lot of weight,” he added.

The Bavarians face sixth-placed Freiburg on Wednesday in their penultimate match before the mid-season break but could be trailing Leipzig by nine points as Julian Nagelsmann’s men travelling to Borussia Dortmund 24 hours earlier.