Nicolas Kuhn is heartened to hear that he is on Germany’s radar as the in-form Celtic winger bids to fulfil another dream.
The 24-year-old has emerged as one of Brendan Rodgers’ key players this term after an underwhelming start to his time in the Scottish Premiership following his arrival from Rapid Vienna in January.
Kuhn’s progress with the Hoops was highlighted when he was namechecked earlier this week by Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann as a contender for a future call-up.
Asked about players who were not in the current squad, including AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw and Inter’s Yann Bisseck, Nagelsmann said: “Kuhn is also a good player with a lot of desire. He’s someone we’re keeping an eye on.”
Kuhn, a former Germany Under-20 international, is pleased to hear that he is in the thoughts of Nagelsmann.
“Yeah, really good,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think that’s what we play for (international recognition). The focus is now on Celtic, but of course that’s a goal of mine.
“I said a couple of years ago already the goal is to play in the national team. The first goal was the Champions League, I made that dream come true and yeah, we will see.”
Kuhn’s quest to earn a Germany call-up was aided by the fact he scored a double in the stunning 3-1 Champions League victory over Bundesliga high-fliers RB Leipzig two weeks ago.
“Yeah, and not just any German team, it was my former club, it was even better,” he said of his recent exploits.
“I enjoyed it a lot and after I talked to some of the guys from there, so it was really nice.”
Kuhn has been arguably the form player in Scotland this term, scoring 10 goals and contributing 11 assists in his 17 matches in all competitions.
“I think the numbers are pretty good, but I think also my overall game play is good,” he said.
“I try to create a lot of chances, score goals and at the moment I feel really good and happy. Hopefully we keep going like this.”
Kuhn was hindered by dental issues that led to weight loss around the time he arrived at Celtic in January and he struggled to make an impact in his first few months in Glasgow.
“Of course, it’s not easy to come in during a transfer window with the dental problems I had,” he said.
“I lost some weight, but as I said a couple of times now, focus is most important for me, and I’m feeling good.
“The staff are helping me, the team is unbelievable and we keep going.”