Vincent Kompany says Can Uzun is leading 'new generation of top players' in Bundesliga after Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade exits amid Eintracht Frankfurt star's unbelievable start to season

Uzun joined Frankfurt from Nuremberg in July 2024 and had a relatively quiet season where he recorded five goals across 31 games in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Europa League. However, within just eight games this season, he has already surpassed his tally from last term. In just five matches, he has amassed five goals and three assists in the Bundesliga, and hasn't been shy in the Champions League too, scoring one in Frankfurt's 5-1 victory over Galatasaray in September.  

If not worried, Bayern will remain wary of Uzun, who has displayed unstoppable abilities in the domestic league. Leading to tomorrow's matchup against Frankfurt, Kompany said: "It's no surprise that Can is so strong. We've lost many top players in the Bundesliga, but there's room for a new generation of top players. Uzun is one of them. He has many skills: he can shoot from distance, he can tap the ball in with one touch. A young player from Frankfurt who will do that very well in the future. It makes things better for us when the other team is in a good phase."

In recent times, the Bundesliga has produced stars who have generated heavy cash for their respective teams during the transfer windows. Two examples from the recently concluded window can be that of Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade, who moved to Liverpool and Newcastle for £116 million ($156m) and £69m ($93m), respectively. The Regensburg-born attacking midfielder Uzun, whose scintillating performances earned him an international debut back in March 2024, is the latest revelation who is expected to attract large offers in the near future. He has scored in five consecutive games this season and, as a result, has become the fourth teenager in Europe's top five leagues in this century to have achieved such a feat, following the example set by Julian Brandt for Borussia Dortmund in 2015-16, Jadon Sancho in 2019-20, and Karim Benzema for Real Madrid in 2007-08.

Uzun has a dual citizenship of Germany and Turkey, and last year he opted to represent the latter. The German football association (DFB) CEO Andreas Rettig recently admitted that the German federation rates Uzun very highly, but they failed to convince him to represent the country at the international stage.