Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says that although he believes embattled youngster Julian Green has the goods to play for the first team down the road, he needs to continue development.

Green has struggled mightily on loan at Hamburg this season, demoted to the youth team after failing to make an impact on the managerial and ownership staff.

Hamburg as a whole has struggled as well, and has made its second coaching change of the season. They fired Mirko Slomka in September just before play got under way – and after Green had made his loan move to Hamburg. Reserve team coach Joe Zinnbauer took over, but with just six wins this season, the club fired Zinnbauer yesterday. Sporting director Peter Knäbel has taken over on an interim basis.

“Maybe [Green] is suffering [at Hamburg] because of the situation at the club and maybe he’s not playing because it looks like he didn’t have a good relationship with the old coach,” Rummenigge told a group of American reporters. “Maybe that will change now in a better way because he’s a nice guy, he’s skillful and he’s a good dribbler.”

Rummenigge did say that Green would return to Bayern this summer, but while supporting the 19-year-old’s skills and talent, he confirmed their plans are to send him elsewhere next year.

“It’s looking likely that he’ll come back at the end of the season and we’ll have to sit together to find the best solution for him,” Rummenigge said. “I don’t believe that at first he’ll be here at Bayern. He will probably need one more year at a club wherever – in Germany or England, I don’t know – to show his quality and I believe he has that quality.”

Green has been called into the US national squad for upcoming friendlies against Denmark and Switzerland where he will hopefully get valuable minutes to make up some for his inactivity at Hamburg.

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