Alphonso Davies has impressed Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in his short time at the club so far. - © /

bundesliga

"Alphonso Davies will bring Bayern Munich a lot of joy" - CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

13.12.2019

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has praised Alphonso Davies' development as the 19-year-old approaches his one-year anniversary at the club and believes more is still to come from the Canada international.

In an exclusive interview with bundesliga.com, Rummenigge, who will step down from his position this time next year, also discusses the Bundesliga title race this season and gives his thoughts on interim coach Hansi Flick.

bundesliga.com: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who are Bayern's main title rivals in 2019/20?

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: "Although they are currently fifth in the table, Borussia Dortmund have a lot of individual quality and are well-positioned. RB Leipzig are also up there and their new coach, Julian Nagelsmann, fits in well with the team. They're making a good impression. It may be a surprise for many people that Borussia Mönchengladbach are top, but they were second behind Dortmund at the same stage last year. They've developed nicely, although it's a little surprising that they're doing so well, considering they have also been playing in the UEFA Europa League. They didn't get off to a great start in the competition, but they've put things right and now they're going to qualify for the knockout stages, which is good for the Bundesliga."

Leipzig held Bayern to a draw earlier this season, and Die Roten Bullen have made a good impression on Bayern CEO Rummenigge. - 2019 DFL

bundesliga.com: What do you make of the development of Alphonso Davies?

Rummenigge: "We're happy with his development. He came to us last January, and he's made fantastic progress since then. But I think that was to be expected, because he has unbelievable physical ability and he's extremely quick, perhaps the quickest player in the Bundesliga. He has great acceleration; nobody can get away from him. He also has a healthy amount of physicality without being unsportsmanlike. He could still refine his technique and his tactical awareness, but that's normal for a 19-year-old. I'm convinced that he will bring us a lot of joy. It was a very successful transfer for Bayern, specifically Hasan Salihamidzic."

bundesliga.com: What are your thoughts on Hansi Flick?

Rummenigge: "I'm personally very happy with how Hansi is carrying out his job. The most important thing in a football team is the quality of play. You can always win or lose games because of luck. That was the case against Bayer Leverkusen last week, when we lost due to a lot of bad luck. But the quality of play is the most important thing, and we have that. Hansi has a clear game plan and a warm personality. The players enjoy working with him and they work well together. We're therefore very happy with what he's doing at the moment."

bundesliga.com: What are your memories of the remarkable 2012/13 season?

Rummenigge: "2013 was the most successful year in Bayern's history. We won the treble and we went on to win the Bundesliga for seven years running. We're currently third in the UEFA club rankings and we've had an amazing decade here at Bayern Munich. We're very proud of this and all of the employees here have done a great job, especially the players and managers."