Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was delighted to keep a clean sheet as the Whites won their final pre-season friendly against Hoffenheim yesterday afternoon – especially as the fixture was played just three quarters of an hour from his birthplace.
The German international told Kicker after the final whistle that he had many members of his family watching Fulham’s win at the Pre-Zero Arena:
“It was a bit strange, I needed about 30 to 40 tickets this time, I’m not far from here. It felt a bit like it used to, I’ve been in England for a few years now – it was nice to be back in Germany.”
Leno also enjoyed a reunion with Hoffenheim goalkeeper and international team-mate Oliver Baumann, whilst playing down his chances of a recall to the German national squad if he wasn’t going to be third choice custodian.
“We’ve met many times in our careers, most recently with the national team, it’s always nice to meet. As for the game, I’ll let the statistics speak for themselves – we won and kept a clean sheet… It was great preparation for us, but it’s nice that things are finally getting started on Friday at Manchester United at Old Trafford.”
Leno felt Fulham did well off the back of their extended pre-season tour in Portugal.
“Hoffenheim are starting the cup in Würzburg on Friday, I don’t think anyone is going into it at 80 per cent. That’s why they’re on the same level as us. Although we were a bit tired today because we came from a ten-day training camp in Portugal, that was obvious. But preparation is always a tricky thing and in the end nobody cares if you screw up the first game.”
Steven Schumacher is looking to bolster his attacking options as they look to push towards the top half of the table after spending much of last season embroiled in the relegation battle. They have already done so by bringing in exciting Liverpool forward Lewis Koumas.
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While Birmingham City are pushing for an immediate return to the Championship with a budget that most of League One would find hard to keep up with, excluding the likes of Wrexham, yesterday’s result showed there is still work to be done.
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