Rising star Werner hoping for Germany call-up

Berlin (AFP) – Rising star Timo Werner, currently the Bundesliga’s best homegrown striker, is in line for a senior call-up for next month’s internationals against England and Azerbaijan after praise from Germany coach Joachim Loew.

With 13 league goals for second-placed RB Leipzig, Werner — who only turns 21 next Monday — is the top-scoring German in the Bundesliga.

Werner’s clinical finishing has been a key part of Leipzig’s rise this season since his arrival last year from relegated Stuttgart.

Germany play a home friendly against England in Dortmund on March 22 and a 2018 World Cup qualifier away to Azerbaijan four days later in Baku.

Last week Loew said Werner has the potential to develop into a world-class striker, suggesting he could hand Werner his first full cap.

“It’s an honour for me when the national coach says that about me,” Werner told Kicker having scored in Leipzig’s 3-1 win over Cologne on Saturday.

“There is still a lot of work to do, but hearing something like that is of course an incentive.”

Werner says he is not counting on a first call-up, “but I hope for one. Every footballer wishes to be called up for the national team”.

Germany play in the Confederations Cup this June in Russia and Loew says he wants to blood young talent ahead of the 2018 World Cup, when his team will defend their title.

Werner will be involved with Germany’s under-21s at the European junior championships in Poland — unless the senior call-up comes to go to Russia.

Werner is fourth in the scoring charts in Germany, behind Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich and Cologne’s French striker Anthony Modeste.