Weinhandl: Ready for the Senior Team Already?

In his U21 debut, the U17 vice-world champion looked like he had been part of the team for years.

Source text: © LAOLA1

from Jonas Pamperl

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Luca Weinhandl (17) has delivered further proof of his great talent.

In his debut for the ÖFB U21 national team, the Sturm youngster immediately made the starting XI – and delivered a truly strong performance.

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It wasn't just his long-range shot, which led to the assist for the equaliser, that made Weinhandl stand out. Together with Nicolas Bajlicz, he pulled the strings in midfield. Especially during the second half, after Peter Perchtold switched to a 4-4-2 formation, the game increasingly ran through him. Weinhandl was even the only non-defender for the ÖFB to play the full match.

Youngest Player on the Pitch

At no point during the match was it apparent that the 17-year-old was actually the youngest player on the pitch.

"I'm satisfied," Weinhandl himself said about his performance: "But my teammates simply gave me a good feeling. It was really fun to be on the pitch."

Captain Jannik Schuster also commented: "Luca did great."

After Vasilije Markovic, who also played a really good game as a pressing and running machine, Weinhandl was only the second U17 vice-world champion to feature for the U21s. Unlike the Graz native, the Austria talent even got to make his debut under Ralf Rangnick.

Next Step: Senior Team?

When a 17-year-old performs so well in a U21 debut, especially in such an important match, the question inevitably arises: Isn't Weinhandl already ready for the senior team?

"We'll see. I think I played well today. I want to keep going like this. What comes next, comes," he said, revealing nothing further.

In the first half, Weinhandl was also at the center of attention due to a small incident with the Danish coach.

Minor Confrontation

What happened? "It was a bit of emotions," the ÖFB player began: "The ball went out, and I wanted to take a quick throw-in because the opponent was disorganised. And then he (the Denmark coach, editor's note) hid the ball behind him, not wanting to give it to me."

The fourth official intervened – only then did the refereeing team notice that Weinhandl had been wearing a necklace for 18 minutes. "I forgot to take it off. That was my mistake, but nothing really happened."

Weinhandl will certainly not forget his U21 debut. And if he continues this way with the U21s and Sturm, then his debut for the senior national team is probably only a matter of time.