By Oliver Trust

BERLIN, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Germany's youngsters come to the fore.

Fans' excitement is growing as Bayern's Jamal Musiala (23) and Lennart Karl (18), along with Liverpool's Florian Wirtz (23), develop into options for the starting 11 behind a box striker.

Training impressions indicate Julian Nagelsmann is giving the youthful trio a test run in Sunday's friendly against Finland.

While the media is talking about a magic triangle emerging, the German coach praised the youngsters' speed and versatility.

"Lennart has made the most progress among the upstarts," the 38-year-old said, while Musiala and Wirtz received constant verbal support during the sessions at the 2014 world champions per-tournament camp in Herzogenaurach.

While Kai Havertz is temporarily unavailable due to Arsenal's UEFA Champions League final against Paris, Newcastle's Nick Woltemade is said to cover the box job ahead of the three speedy creatives.

Wirtz is said to cover the left wing, while Musiala is slipping into the central position with Karl on the right wing.

Position changes seem explicitly welcome, as all three provide speed and open spaces.

Before the team's departure for the USA on May 2, the German coach backed Musiala, who is regaining ground after last summer's injury, which forced him into a months-long break.

"Jamal has what most footballers don't have. Even at 70 percent, he is better than most others," he said.

The coach said that Germany's World Cup opener against underdog Curacao on June 14th in Houston is the goal for Musiala and reminded of the youngsters' challenging path back.

The Bayern midfielder is doing well after a serious injury, he added. "If he is at 98 percent, I am happy," he said.

Regarding Karl, Nagelsmann said there is an opportunity "to convince us in the remaining test games" ahead of the two friendlies against Finland this Sunday and against World Cup co-host USA on May sixth in Chicago.

Alongside Musiala and Wirtz, Karl seems to be Germany's World Cup surprise, bringing youthful nonchalance following his rise with the domestic double-winning Bayern.

"He has the required self-confidence on the pitch and has joined the group with respect and devotion," the German coach added. ■