Alphonso Davies 'earmarked' for Bayern first team, says Kovac

Alphonso Davies trained with the Bayen senior team in December and Kovac thinks he's seen enough to be sure the youngster is ready for some first-team action.

Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac believes teenage prodigy Alphonso Davies is first-team material.

After a spectacular season in the MLS in 2018 for Vancouver Whitecaps, the 18-year-old Canadian winger completed a 10 million euro move to Bayern Munich and officially joined the team on Tuesday as the transfer window was thrown open.

Davies trained for a few weeks with the Bayen senior team in December and Kovac thinks he's seen enough to be sure the youngster is ready for some first-team action.

READ | Davies turned down rival offers after being impressed by Bayern plans

"If I compare him with our U23s, then he is already ahead of the others," Kovac said. "He has to acclimatise, that's clear. But he has quality and we will not slow him down if he can help us."

Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are among the wealth of options Bayern has on the wings, but Davies can still expect some minutes on the pitch.  

“Of course, we can’t over-expose him,” Kovac concluded. “But he’s definitely a player we have earmarked for the first-team.”

Davies is Canadian football's hottest property. He was voted Canada Soccer's 2018 Male Player of the Year after a brilliant season in the MLS for Vancouver Whitecaps, scoring eight times and providing 11 assists.