Havertz lives up to the hype, says new Leverkusen signing Sinkgraven

Lothar Matthaus rates Kai Havertz as a potential Ballon d’Or winner and the excitement surrounding the midfielder is entirely justified, according to Bayern Leverkusen team-mate Daley Sinkgraven.

Bayern Munich, Liverpool and a number of other top European sides have been linked to Havertz since he struck 17 goals during an exceptional 2018-19 Bundesliga campaign.

His list of admirers includes former Germany captain Matthaus, who on Monday tipped the 20-year-old to eventually join a “very big club,” and new Leverkusen signing Sinkgraven.

The latter moved to the BayArena from Ajax in June and has been impressed with Havertz.

“I knew about him. Now I’ve spent [several] weeks with him and, indeed, he’s a very good player,” Sinkgraven told Omnisport.

“You can see it if you look at his technique: he is very relaxed when he has the ball.

“The way he scores goals during training, I love watching it, so I am really happy he will stay here for one more year.”

Kai Havertz’s teenage days are over 

Boy were they special! pic.twitter.com/vPTFLsq3X3

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) June 11, 2019

Sinkgraven signed for Leverkusen after working with head coach Peter Bosz during an injury plagued five seasons in Amsterdam.

The versatile 24-year-old got a taste of the Bundesliga when Ajax faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season and is braced for a steep learning curve.

“It’s a level up [from the Eredivisie], for sure,” he said.

“I think the pace is a bit higher [than in Holland]. The games are probably more physical. Every team in Germany is strong so you have to give everything.”