Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has praised the development of teenage midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic and is glad he will miss only Saturday's Bundesliga home game with Mainz through suspension and not longer.
The 19-year-old has burst onto the scene this season, partly due to injuries, and has taken the chance with both hands.
The German-Serbian was instrumental in the Champions League last-16 win over Lazio on Tuesday. He will be replaced against Mainz by Austria's Konrad Laimer, with Germany's Joshua Kimmich set to remain at right back, such has been Pavlovic's impact.
"You never know whether a player can show his skill under competitive conditions, under pressure," Tuchel, who will wear a special boot in the dugout on Saturday after breaking his big toe, told a news conference on Friday.
"It's nice to see that he can do it with the same confidence, the same mentality and the same quality no matter who the opponent is and no matter what the setting is, whether it's a cup game, a Champions League game or a Bundesliga game. He deserves the greatest compliment for that."
Germany and Serbia are fighting over the midfielder for international honours and Tuchel thinks the Bayern youth product can go far.
"He's had a glow on his face from the very first training session. He always came to training with a smile. In addition to his sporting ability, he has always shown what a fine lad he is and how grateful he is for this opportunity," Tuchel added.
"You can just see his childlike joy at being on the pitch. His confidence comes from his play. He has always trained like this."
Tuchel is leaving at the end of the season given Bayern are 10 points behind unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen with 10 games to go and on the verge of missing out on the Bundesliga title for the first time in 12 years.
