Nick Woltemade signed off for the season with 11 goals in his first season at Newcastle - but spent the second half of the season playing out of position
germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann gives Nick Woltemade instructions before his substitute appearance against Switzerland
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Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has waded in on the Nick Woltemade argument at Newcastle United - warning he is being played in the wrong position.
The £69million man has been used in midfield and as a number 10 in the second half of the season, with the goals drying up for the ex-Stuttgart man.
Ahead of the World Cup, and as Germany prepare to play Finland in a World Cup warm-up game, Nagelsmann has doubled down on his views on Woltemade's lack of effectiveness at Newcastle.
Nagelsmann said in Germany: "He’s not a classic counter-attacking striker.
"At Newcastle, he’s often 70 metres away from goal, which makes it difficult for him to get into the box
"He often initiated things out wide, and then the ball was in the box so quickly that he could no longer get there himself. You have to get him closer to goal."
Germany will play Woltemade in a more advanced position at the World Cup as they prepare for games in Group E against Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the United States.
Nagelsmann said: "The way we play will suit him because he has shorter distances to the goal.
"Already scored many goals and played many good games for us.
"That’s a very important point: what you have already experienced in a certain environment."
But German chief Nagelsmann stated that he was not specifically criticising Howe, and said: "Every coach chooses his own style."
Germany's sporting director Rudi Voller, sitting alongside Nagelsmann, also chimed in and said of Woltemade: "A lot has happened for him over the last year. He won the cup with Stuttgart, then moved abroad and became a national player. Now it’s another step up to be at a World Cup.
"The important thing is to enjoy it and take it all in."
When asked about Woltemade's move to drop deeper and away from leading the line, Howe told Chronicle Live in April: "I think it is a great thing for everybody.
"For us, if you have versatile players, it gives you a lot more choice and options on how you play - especially when you have injuries in your squad. It is almost imperative we have that.
"From the players' perspective, I think it is great for their learning. It is potentially great for their careers."
Speaking to German publication Bild last season, Woltemade said: "It bothers me. If someone claims that I’m in a slump, I’d argue that this person doesn’t watch many Newcastle games.
"I know people associate me with goals, but you can’t compare a striker’s tally with that of a midfielder playing 50, 60, 70 meters from the opponent’s goal. I’m currently a completely different Nick Woltemade than I was at the start of the season. Right now, I should be judged by how I handle duels or secure space."
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