'When he calls, you can't say no' – Ebnoutalib credits Klopp for choice to represent Germany

Eintracht Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib has highlighted the role Jurgen Klopp played in his choice to represent Germany over Morocco, saying: "When he calls, you can't say no."

Klopp has named a larger, 44-man squad for his first international break in charge of Germany, who face the Netherlands in their Nations League opener on Thursday, before taking on Greece twice, either side of a home clash with Serbia.

Sixteen of them are uncapped as Klopp looks to familiarise himself with as many players as possible, with 23-year-old attacker Ebnoutalib among them.

Having joined Eintracht from Elversberg in a €10m deal in January, Ebnoutalib has made a superb start to this season, scoring four goals in as many Bundesliga games.

Only Patrik Schick, Phillip Tietz, Michael Olise and Yuito Suzuki can match that tally, with Ebnoutalib finding the net with all but one of his shots on target (five, from 11 total attempts) and overperforming his figure of 2.85 expected goals (xG).

Ebnoutalib represented Morocco at youth level, but talks with Jurgen Klopp left him in no doubt as to where his international future lay.

"I am very, very proud. There were also talks with Morocco, but they weren't as intense as with Jurgen," Ebnoutalib said.

"I'm just proud. You have to say, he is one of the best coaches in the world. And when he calls, you can't say no.

"The impression is very positive. He is, of course, someone who brings a great deal of experience and already has a certain presence because of what he has achieved over the years. 

"So, naturally, you have a great deal of respect for him. But he was very nice and very likeable in the conversations.

"He is already very well known for the way he wants to play football, with high pressing, with a lot of energy and power. He has already fired us up. 

"I think that's what he is known for, that he is very good at reaching people and getting them on board. He has certainly got us in the right mindset."

Klopp has overseen 1,080 matches across his managerial career, winning 588 of those (D256 L236). His 431 games in charge of Liverpool are the third-most by a manager in the club's history, behind Bill Shankly's 799 and Bob Paisley's 523.

Klopp's 334 Premier League games with the Reds, who won the title under him in 2019-20, are also the fifth-most with a single club in the history of the competition, after Arsene Wenger with Arsenal (828), Alex Ferguson with Manchester United (810), David Moyes with Everton (488) and Pep Guardiola with Manchester City (380).

Defender Philipp Treu is another player hoping to make his senior Germany debut in the coming days, with three of his Freiburg team-mates also called up following their run to the Europa League final last season.

"It's definitely something where you say, 'Hey, it's cool that I can now train under Jurgen Klopp'," Treu said of working with Klopp.

"And that's why I'm just looking forward to being on the pitch with him later, soaking it all in, and just giving it my all."