Lukas chuckled and gave a light tap to the ball, rolling it back toward Kimmich. "Guess I'll save the rest for training."
"Good idea," Koch added with a smirk. "Otherwise, they'll all think you're trying to take their spots already."
As they joined the rest of the group, the energy felt lighter, buzzing with the kind of excitement that follows something effortlessly cool. Even the coaches smiled as they resumed the drills, but it was clear that Lukas Brandt had just made another quiet statement: he belonged here.
A sharp whistle cut through the light chatter on the training pitch. Julian Nagelsmann strode onto the grass, clipboard under his arm, with the rest of the staff following behind him.
"Alright, everyone," he called out. "Pair up; we're doing 1v1s and then finishing drills. Defenders, rotate every few minutes. Attackers, be sharp."
