HOFFENHEIM’S UNDER-19 coach Julian Nagelsmann will take the reins of the senior team at the end of the current season, the German top-flight side have announced.
Markus Gisdol was sacked on Monday after a poor start to the campaign with Huub Stevens slotting in as an interim appointment.
So far, so normal.
Except for the fact that Nagelsmann is just 28 years old. And he still doesn’t have the requisite qualifications to coach at the top level. On top of that, he’s younger than four players in the current squad.
However, the struggling Bundesliga club – currently second from bottom with just one win from ten games – don’t seem to mind.
According to sports director Alexander Rosen, Nagelsmann is a ‘huge coaching talent’.
We know this is a courageous step but we see in him [Nagelsmann] such a huge coaching talent that we want to give him a prospect.”
Nagelsmann is well-regarded by his peers, despite his lack of experience.
In January 2013, he was just 25 when he was brought in as an assistant coach of the senior team as they desperately battled against the drop.
But, the club survived and Nagelsmann continued his impressive work, steering Hoffenheim’s junior team to the league title last year.
He’s signed a three-year deal and will become the youngest ever Bundesliga manager when he officially takes up his new role next June.
