Why Kingsley Coman Will Be a Star for Bayern Munich for Years to Come

When Kingsley Coman joined Bayern Munich on loan at the end of August, few could have expected much of him. The Juventus-contracted winger was a bright talent but, at 19 years of age, was still far too young to have an immediate impact.

Or so it seemed.

Although the spotlight shone brightly on fellow newcomer Douglas Costa for much of the early campaign, Coman has adapted brilliantly to his new settings, playing with the maturity of a player well beyond his years and delivering in a big way.

Coman made his debut as a substitute against Augsburg in Matchday 4 of the Bundesliga. He didn't affect any goals but made an impression on Pep Guardiola. Within a couple of weeks, he'd scored twice and assisted four goals.

He was decisive against Mainz and in the Champions League against Olympiakos. And despite cooling off a bit towards the end of the first half of the season, he entered the winter break with four goals and seven assists to his name. Not bad for a teenager with precious little professional experience prior to the current campaign.

So impressive has Coman been that he looks to have earned Pep Guardiola’s trust as a first backup for the likes of Costa, Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller—and ahead of Mario Gotze.

With Robben soon to turn 32 years of age, Coman has good reason to believe he might take on a starting role in the not-so-distant future. He even earned his debut cap for France in November.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

It's a good thing for Bayern that, along with the loan, they managed to secure an option to sign Coman on a permanent basis.

The official Bayern website confirmed in August they had such a purchase option, with Italian football expert Tancredi Palmeri reporting on his Twitter account that the option to buy amounted to €20 million.

Bayern's loan truly was an inspired bit of business, given that Coman will stay until his 21st birthday, and only shortly before that time will Bayern have to decide whether or not to exercise their purchase option.

If things don't work out, they'll have only paid a nominal fee. But at this rate, it's hard not to see Coman sticking around and becoming a key player for this Bayern team for years to come.

Coman is much like Robben in that he has blistering pace. He's not quite the same as a dribbler, playmaker or a finisher, but at the same time, it's important to remember that he's still very young.

Robben wasn't the player he is now when he was 19. Only a few years from now will we have a true idea of the type of player Coman can be.

One area where Coman already has an advantage is his versatility. Whereas Robben is almost fixed as a right-winger and struggles to do anything other than run with his right foot, Coman is a bit more ambidextrous and has had the tactical flexibility to show up left, right and center and still have a good effect.

He doesn't need the ball in order to influence the attack and has some similarity to Muller in that, even at a young age, he has outstanding positional instincts.

Bayern will have to adapt to an extent when Coman becomes a full-time starter. He isn't a copy of Robben or Ribery for that matter; he has his own skill set, his unique set of attributes. Unlike Gotze, he's put his best foot forward and adapted to the team as it has adapted to him.

It looks to be a question not of whether or not he will become a starter but when. Still just 19 years of age, Coman looks to have an outstanding future ahead of him.

Bayern would be wise to exercise their option to sign him on a full transfer and tie him down with a long-term contract. He could be a star at the Allianz Arena for a long time.

@Mr_Bundesliga