Having joined Liverpool at the age of five, he regards the Merseyside side as his boyhood club. He felt opportunities in the first team at Anfield were limited, prompting the switch. He maintains the transfer was essential for his development.
Since arriving in Germany, his Bundesliga performances have impressed, earning him recognition from Thomas Tuchel and a call-up to the national squad.
England are due to travel to their tournament base in Kansas City on Saturday. He now aims to cement his international place ahead of the tournament. His decision has been widely seen as a turning point in his career trajectory. It proved decisive for his overall development.
"Last summer it was a really tough decision, to be honest, to walk away from my boyhood club - a club I've been at all my life," he said.
"But I just knew it was the best thing that I needed for my career, to be playing week in week out.
"People who know me know I back myself no matter what and I feel like I'm capable of playing at the highest level and I wanted to show that this season.
"To be rewarded being selected for the World Cup is an absolute honour and it's all down to the hard work that I've put in over the past 12 months.
"I feel like with every game I play, I'm getting better. I'm only young, so as long as I keep my head down, I keep grafting away, I know I'm going to be in a good place.
"It's just sticking to what I know and sticking to the goals that I've set myself and hopefully I can achieve everything I want."
FIFA have defended the official attendance figure from the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A clash between South Korea and Czech Republic after visible empty seats inside the stadium sparked questions over crowd numbers.
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Neymar will miss Brazil's 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Morocco on Sunday, as the forward continues his recovery from injury.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has publicly backed Bafana Bafana midfielder Sphephelo Sithole after the midfielder endured a difficult outing in South Africa's opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Mexico.
Ryan Christie has signed a new three-year contract extension with AFC Bournemouth, keeping him at the club until 2029 after an impressive season that ended with UEFA Europa League qualification.
