Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm has jumped to the defence of summer signing Renato Sanches, who struggled on his debut following a€35m switch from Benfica in May.
The 19-year-old played his first competitive game for over two months on Fridayafter returning from a thigh injury sustained at Euro 2016.
In spite of the youngsters nervy debut performance, Bayern managed to maintain their 100 per cent record so far this season by beating Schalke 2-0 at theVetlinsArena, with late goals coming fromRobert Lewandowski andJoshua Kimmich.
Sanches struggled to keep up with the pace of the game,regularlylosingpossession after a number of rushed passes.
He was eventually withdrawn by Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti in the 71st minute, with eventual goalscorerJoshua Kimmich replacing him.
#Sanches @ #EURO2016:
-Youngest ever EURO champion ✔
-Youngest ever KO round scorer ✔
-Young Player of Tournament ✔ pic.twitter.com/No2UFrEaSv
Following the result Bayern captain Lahm heaped praise on the teenager, describing him as a'very, very good player.'
"He's a very, very good player, otherwise he wouldn't be here. He's a European champion and will definitely be an asset to us in the future." Lahm said, as quoted byESPN.
#Lahm on the #Bundesliga start: "Two games, six points, eight scored, none conceded - we can't really complain!" pic.twitter.com/Lq8rVxkl6L
Bayern's reliable goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also jumped to the defence of Sanches, claimingthat 'his ability is unquestionable', despite admitting that he 'perhaps hadn't play his best game.'
"He's very strong in the tackle and always looking to drive forward. His ability is unquestionable", Neuer told the German press.
The victory over Schalke leaves Ancelotti's side joint-top of the Bundesliga after two games and they will be hoping to continue their positive start next week, as they face minnows Ingolstadt at the Allianz Arena.