Three goals and one assist in three Bundesliga games have put Younes Ebnoutalib into Germany's striker conversation almost immediately. The Eintracht Frankfurt forward has also earned a first call-up, and Jürgen Klopp has already made clear how quickly the coaching staff moved on him.
Klopp said the decision in favour of Ebnoutalib came relatively quickly within the staff. He also pointed to the first half against Union as superb and noted that the forward is already 23. That is not a bad platform for a player who has barely had time to settle at Eintracht Frankfurt, let alone at international level.
Klopp's view of the Frankfurt forward
The strongest part of this case is not just output, it is the mix of output and work. Ebnoutalib has 3 goals, 1 assist and 3 Bundesliga appearances this term, which is the kind of start that gets a coach's attention even before the wider debate begins. Klopp went further than selection logic, calling him a great talent and stressing that he has already seen everything after recovering from a serious injury.
There is also the running. Against SC Freiburg, Ebnoutalib covered 11.29 km and made 18 sprints, the sort of numbers that fit a modern No.9 who can press as well as finish. Frankfurt have also conceded 10 goals this season, so his end product is carrying real weight in a side that is not cruising through games.
Why the call-up arrived so fast
This rise did not come from nowhere. Before moving to Frankfurt, Ebnoutalib scored 12 goals in 17 Hinrunde games for SV Elversberg, and that run made the jump look earned rather than accidental. He then signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Eintracht, a long commitment that shows the club already viewed him as more than a stopgap.
The debate around Jonathan Burkardt and the wider forward pool can wait. Ebnoutalib is still only at the start of the job, and Klopp has not treated him like a finished article. But if the question is whether he belongs in the conversation, the answer is already yes. The next checkpoint is whether he keeps producing when the first-call-up glow fades.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
