Malick Thiaw earned praise from Germany boss Jurgen Klopp after playing the full 90 minutes in a 3-1 UEFA Nations League victory over Serbia, while Newcastle United teammate Aladji Bamba endured another frustrating evening on the bench for France Under-21s.
Thiaw impresses for Germany
Thiaw has had a mixed start to the season with Newcastle, regaining his place in the starting XI against Fulham after sitting out three games as Matthias Jaissle preferred Fabian Schar as his right-sided centre-half. He had emerged as a key figure early in Jaissle's reign, with the head coach appointing his fellow countryman as captain in the absence of the injured Dan Burn and Joelinton.
Klopp, however, retains full faith in the former AC Milan defender and started him ahead of Nico Schlotterbeck on Friday night. Thiaw, winning his 10th cap, impressed alongside Jonathan Tah at the heart of the German defence.
"We are expecting lots of long balls, so Thiaw and Tah have a slight advantage because of their aerial ability," Klopp explained before kick-off.
Steur stars for Netherlands Under-21s
Thiaw was not the only Newcastle player to impress on Friday night. Teenage midfielder Sean Steur played 78 minutes as the Netherlands Under-21s cruised to a 3-0 victory away to Denmark in their Euro U21 play-off.
The 18-year-old, already a fan favourite on Tyneside, provided an assist and controlled the midfield with a 98% pass completion rate.
Bamba remains on the bench
A third Newcastle player on international duty was Aladji Bamba. The midfielder has barely featured since his big-money summer move and was hoping for serious minutes, but found himself in a familiar bench role for France U21s.
The 20-year-old did see some action, introduced for the closing stages in a 2-1 home defeat to Italy. He will hope for a longer runout when they face England on Monday.
