Hoeneß endorses Anton for German national team
Speaking at a Friday presser, VfB Stuttgart trainer Sebastian Hoeneß openly endorsed his squad captain for a call-up to the German senior men's national team.
The surprise call-up of VfB Stuttgart attacker Chris Führich by Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann over the last international break may potentially be followed up by another new addition from the 2023/24 German Bundesliga's surprise sensational. That, at least, is what VfB Stuttgart trainer Sebastian Hoeneß made clear that he would like to see when speaking at a Friday presser.
Stuttgart have seceded all expectations this season. The relegation-playoff winners from the previous season certainly weren't expected to be occupying a top-four place in the table; not least after losing several high-value players over the course of the offseason. Hoeneß reserved some special praise for Germany U21 international Waldemar Anton whilst commenting on his team's performance thus far this season yesterday.
Hoeneß most unexpectedly found himself in desperate need of a new skipper for his squad after Wataru Endo opted to join Liverpool near the end of the transfer window. The VfB head-coach tapped Anton to inherit the armband. The central defender - who joined the Württembergers during their first season back in the top flight (2020/21) - has played maximum minutes for Honeß and earned consistently good marks in the German press.
"Waldi flys a bit under the radar," Hoeneß said of his captain, "He plays incredibly consistently, is an unbelievable stabilizing factor, and makes very few mistakes. That's a very important characteristic for a defender. Both on and off the ball, Waldi has delivered performances that render him worthy of a look [for the national team]."
"I don't mean to demand anything," Hoeneß continued after making his appeal to Nagelsmann, "There are plenty of other lads who are also good. But Waldi has played a really good season. Waldi is solid in so many areas. He brings the overall package. He's a real leader not just in matches but also in training. He fulfills that role uniquely."
The 27-year-old Anton did earn 11 caps for Stefan Kuntz's Germany U21 squad between 2016 and 2019. The Uzbek-born defender won the 2017 UEFA European U21 Championship with Kuntz in addition to serving on the side that finished runners-up in the 2019 competition.