Robert Lewandowski: "Flick a great coach, Nagelsmann raises performances"

Lewandowski has been central to the success Bayern have enjoyed with Flick at the helm, scoring 98 times across all competitions in the past two seasons alone and, it's worth remembering, with three Bundesliga games of 2020/21 remaining.

Last season saw Bayern record an unprecedented sextuple of Bundesliga, DFB Cup, UEFA Champions League, German Supercup, European Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup success.

They are also now on the brink of defending their domestic league crown, all of which has been claimed under the tenure of Flick.

It leaves some big shoes for Nagelsmann to step into, but - if Lewandowski’s recent comments are anything to go by - then the 33-year-old incoming coach - who is just 395 days older than his soon-to-be leading man - is well placed to do so.

“I don't know Julian Nagelsmann well, but what I can say is that he always manages to raise teams to a level that you wouldn't expect of them,” Lewandowski told Bild.

“The performance of the teams under Nagelsmann is mostly above expectations, above the sum of the quality of the individual players."

The Poland captain - on 36 Bundesliga goals for 2020/21 and just four short of Gerd Müller’s single-season 40-goal record of 1971/72 - also reserved special praise for the outgoing Flick.

Watch: Robert Lewandowski's race to 40 goals

And not only for Flick’s obvious tactical nous, but also his man management in being able to bring the best out of established stars such as Lewandowski and Thomas Müller, who are arguably playing the best football of their already glittering careers.

Lewandowski added: “He's not only a great coach, he's also a great person. You can also talk to him about private matters, and we have achieved historical things with Hansi Flick.

“This was by far my best time at Bayern, he always gave us a clear plan of what to expect."