Lasse Gunther: Bayern's rapid teen sensation earning Robben comparisons

The 17-year-old winger is already a key player for the Bavarians' Under-19 side, with his speed and playing style likened to the legendary Dutch star

On a grim early October afternoon in north London, four arms rise aloft, almost as one. The eyes of those young Tottenham defenders responsible turn towards the assistant referee, some more in hope than in expectation, but there is no flag forthcoming.

Spurs find themselves 2-0 down in the early stages of their UEFA Youth League clash with Bayern Munich, with the second goal scored by the second-youngest player on the pitch; a player who has just showcased frightening speed to break the offside trap before cutting inside onto his left foot to curl home into the top corner.

That player is Lasse Gunther, who would go onto contribute a second goal himself having earlier won the free-kick that would lead to the opening goal in Bayern's 4-1 win in the English capital. Fair haired, playing off the right-hand side and blisteringly quick - Bavarian supporters would be forgiven for believing that Arjen Robben's heir has arrived.

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"My role models are more like Kylian Mbappe and Kingsley Coman," Gunther told Sport Bild in a recent interview, though he admitted hearing the comparisons to a Bayern legend in the shape of Robben "brought a smile to his face". Those who have been tasked with ensuring he reaches the first team in Munich are less keen to stoke those flames, however.

"I don't think it helps any talent if they are compared to a world-class player in the early years," Jochen Sauer, the head of Bayern's academy, told Goal and SPOX. "The fact that Lasse draws parallels with Arjen is difficult to avoid due to his style of play. Lasse particularly impresses with his speed and dynamism. He really is exceptionally fast for his age."

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Gunther joined Bayern from Augsburg as a 13-year-old and has spent the past four seasons making his way through the various age-group sides at the Bundesliga champions. In 2019-20 he was promoted to play in the Under-19s despite not turning 17 until late March of this year.

He has thrived playing against defenders who are sometimes two years older than him, scoring eight goals in 21 competitive matches this term.

"He can athletically prevail against the U-19 defenders," says Sauer. "He is a very good finisher. He shoots hard and precisely with both his left and right foot.

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"In order to play football cleanly at his pace, he has to be even more precise and focused. He learns better in the U-19s because he has stronger opponents there. He can't just put the ball in front of him and run away from opponents."

Gunther is indeed raw, though that two-footedness that Sauer speaks of may allow him to be more flexible in terms of his position moving forward when compared to a player such as Robben, who was almost solely left-footed. His performances over the past couple of years, however, have raised hopes that Bayern's academy could again be about to start producing household names.

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Not since David Alaba made his senior bow in 2010 has a player emerged from the youth system at Germany's biggest club to become a regular in their first team. Alphonso Davies technically played some games at age-group level before making the leap during the past 12 months, but the Canada star did not arrive in Munich until he was 18 and, as such, is discounted by the majority.

This season may be seen as something of a turning point, however. Joshua Zirkzee has netted three goals in his first 170 minutes of Bundesliga action while defender Bright Arrey-Mbi was called up to join the first team on their winter training camp in Qatar at the turn of the year. Both played alongside Gunther in that victory over Tottenham, and with midfielder Torben Rhein also earning strong reviews, there is a belief that a golden generation of Bayern youth products could be about to emerge.

Gunther may well be turn out to be the poster boy of that group, and though he speaks of pride regarding his "top speed of 35km/h", he is happy to wait for his opportunities to arise, saying: "You can see what kind of rumours there are at Bayern, but it is certainly too early to think about it [a first-team debut]. There is still a long way to go."

For now Gunther must concentrate on continuing to progress at Bayern once the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of football is over while ensuring he completes his education off the field.

"Lasse is a good boy from a down-to-earth family," says Sauer. "He is very ambitious and determined, which is also shown by the fact that he wants to graduate from high school."

There is a calming quality about Gunther, even if when he gets on the field he creates electricity with his fast-moving feet. Expect to see plenty more defenders, like those ones at Tottenham, trailing his wake for years to come.