There was silverware in the international break for Liverpool’s Melkamu Frauendorf, who featured in Germany’s triumph at the Vaclav Jezek Memorial U18s tournament.
Frauendorf, who previously captained Germany’s under-16s, has moved up an age group and was part of Guido Streichsbier’s squad to travel to the Czech Republic this month.
The 17-year-old was the only overseas-based player called up, with the majority of his young team-mates arriving from clubs like Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Hoffenheim, which is a testament to his quality.
And though he was not a first-choice starter, Frauendorf played an important role as Germany won all three of their games at the tournament.
First, he came off the bench in a 2-0 victory over Slovakia, playing the final 31 minutes, before starting in the 3-1 win over Austria and clocking 79 minutes only to be substituted after picking up a yellow card.
He remained a spectator throughout their final game against the hosts, with Germany going 2-1 down only to seal a 3-2 comeback win after Yusuf Kabadayi’s panenka penalty and Justin Diehl’s 81st-minute strike.
And after full-time Frauendorf joined the celebrations to mark a successful international break, continuing a strong start to the season.
Frauendorf is in his second campaign with Liverpool, and signed his first professional contract with the club in July, going on to score once and assist twice in two games for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s under-18s so far this term.
The versatile midfielder could make the step up to the under-23s later in the season, with high hopes for him on Merseyside following his move from Hoffenheim in 2020.
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