Younes praised by Germany boss Löw

Younes was one of the standout players at Deutsche Bank Park as top-four hopefuls Frankfurt enjoyed a famous afternoon against the newly crowned club world champions. The midfielder scored what turned out to be the winner in the 2-1 victory, picking up the ball on the left corner of the penalty area, cutting inside Niklas Süle and firing an unstoppable shot into the far top corner.

The 27-year-old had also played a key part in the opening goal, slipping the ball in behind for Filip Kostic to square to Daichi Kamada in the middle. In total, he was involved in seven of Frankfurt’s 10 attempts on the Bayern goal in the first half, as well we contesting a club-high 31 challenges in the game, of which he won 19 – the most of any player for either team.

Watch: Highlights of Younes and Frankfurt’s big day against Bayern

It was a display that didn’t go unnoticed by the Germany coach, who was in the stands in Frankfurt. “Younes had a very good game. He’s gradually finding his rhythm again,” Löw told Sport1 after the match. “His technique and orientation are great. He’s a player who can resolve one-on-one situations in the best way.”

The question therefore arises as to whether Younes will feature once again for Germany with the UEFA European Championship coming up in the summer. He hasn’t represented his country since a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in October 2017, earning the last of his five caps (two goals) three months after winning the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

While one performance isn’t enough to earn you a place in the squad of the four-time world champions, Younes has impressed on the whole since he joined Eintracht on loan from Napoli in the summer.

Watch: Younes: “Happy I could help the team”

“He’s had a lot of really good games before as well, but I thought his performance in the first half was world class, which he crowned with a world-class goal,” Frankfurt head coach Adi Hütter said after the Bayern game. “I saw the best performance of the season from Amin Younes, since he’s been here.”

After a period of settling in, the Düsseldorf native has started every league fixture since Matchday 12. Frankfurt haven’t lost a game since then – or at all with Younes in the starting XI. In that time, he has scored three goals and provided two assists. Only Andre Silva (11 goals, one assist) and Kostic (two goals, seven assists) have been directly involved in more Eintracht goals than Younes since that run began.

The 11 games with him starting have also seen Die Adler score at least two goals each time, equalling the club-record run from 1977.

It’s a welcome return to form for the Borussia Mönchengladbach academy product. After ultimately making a name for himself in the Netherlands with Ajax, he joined Napoli in 2018 but struggled with an Achilles tendon problem and only made 21 league appearances over two seasons.

Younes is now putting his name in the hat to be selected for the summer’s Euros, which sees Germany take on France, Portugal and Hungary at the Allianz Arena in Munich. However, Die Mannschaft have three 2022 World Cup qualifiers before then in March (against Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia), where Löw may look to introduce the in-form midfielder back into the national team fold.

Younes has four Bundesliga games prior to that international break to continue his and Frankfurt’s strong run, and make his inclusion a must. Eintracht are currently fourth in the table with a five-point advantage over Bayer Leverkusen in fifth and kick off the Matchday 23 action away at Werder Bremen on Friday.