Newcastle star Nick Woltemade targets World Cup glory with Germany

The 64 million pounds-rated forward started brightly on Tyneside, scoring four goals in his first five Premier League appearances and quickly establishing himself as one of the club's most exciting new arrivals. His early form had even sparked talk that he could be Germany's leading striker heading into the tournament.

However, as the season developed, Woltemade's role shifted under manager Eddie Howe, with the 24-year-old often used in deeper positions, including midfield and as a number 10. His goal output slowed, and competition for places increased.

Despite that, Woltemade remains positive about his progress.

Speaking to CBS Sports, he said: "The best preparation you can have, I think, is the hardest league. We play in the Champions League and every game in the Premier League. It can't be harder, to be honest.

"Especially athletically, it helped me a lot. You have to do more sprints, more duels and you have to be in the moment. Otherwise this league is so hard.

"In the last few games I was getting better. For my first season, I'm fine. I had some good goals, some good moments. You can see in my games that I have developed and I have the quality to be a good player in this league."

Woltemade is part of a strong Germany squad featuring talents such as Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, alongside teammates like Malick Thiaw and Anthony Gordon at club level.

He believes Germany can improve on recent tournament struggles after disappointing group-stage exits in the last two major competitions.

"We want to do better. It's a big stage and everyone is watching," he said. "We know we have quality. If we start well, we can go far. I don't know how far, but we are well prepared."

Woltemade is expected to compete with Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav for a starting role as Germany look to return to their best on the world stage.