"Gnabry's the biggest surprise of the season" - Hoeneß

Bayern signed Gnabry from Werder Bremen in summer 2017, only to send the former VfB Stuttgart and Arsenal youngster on loan to Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim.

He produced 10 goals and seven assists in 22 league appearances over the course of the 2017/18 campaign for the Sinsheim club, but even then Hoeness still had his reservations; reservations that have been emphatically put to bed back in Munich.

Watch: Gnabry scored two of his nine Bundesliga goals this season against former club Bremen on Matchday 13

With nine goals in 27 Bundesliga outings, as well as seven assists, Gnabry is Bayern's second-highest Bundesliga scorer so far this season behind the prolific Robert Lewandowski.

The 23-year-old has also found the net three times during the record champions' run to the DFB Cup semi-finals - where he is set to line up against ex-employers Bremen on Wednesday - and has registered two goals and as many assists in his last four internationals for Germany.

"We thought we'd bring him back, and then see how he gets on if he plays from time to time," Hoeneß said of Gnabry in Tuesday's edition of Germany's leading sports specialist magazine, Kicker. "Now he's a first-team regular, he's enjoying himself and is the biggest surprise of the season - in a positive way."

While Hoeneß has been pleasantly surprised by Gnabry's blistering form in 2018/19, the Bayern winger's former 2016 Summer Olympics coach, Horst Hrubesch, has been anything but.

"There's no limit with him," said Hrubesch who, with a little help from Gnabry, steered Germany to a silver medal win in Rio three years ago, only losing the final against Neymar's Brazil on penalties.

"If he stays fit, Bayern will get a lot of joy out of him - he's got 15 to 20 goals a season in him."