Former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann has backed Timo Werner to silence his critics at Chelsea, while struggling to rediscover his scoring touch.
The Iconic German striker pointed out to Werner that NBA legend Michael Jordan “missed more shots than he scored”.
Werner joined Chelsea for £47.5 million ($64m) from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020, following a five-star performance in the Bundesliga, but fell short of expectations after moving to the Premier League.
His debut campaign in England has been marred by several misfiring opportunities with the German international managing 11 goals and nine assists so far across all competitions.
However, Klinsmann remains optimistic that his countryman will get back to his best.
“I have total trust in him because he knows where to be in the right time and right now, here and there, he misses one in that specific moment,” the World Cup winner told ESPN FC.
“That’s something to deal with for a striker and you have to kind of just think about the next opportunity that comes along.
“You know, Michael Jordan said he missed more shots than he scored, and for Timo Werner it’s just like if you fail in moments it makes you only stronger.
“The kid is good. The kid has a tremendous amount of drive and talent and he knows where the ball will fall in the box and he can also make things happen himself with his speed and going at people, so I totally have trust in Timo Werner.
“He will go through that stage and who knows, maybe he will score in the next game in the second leg or in the final of the Champions League.
“He was very young when he was 21 winning the Golden Boot at the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017. He scored almost 100 goals in the German Bundesliga and he’s only 25.
“The kid is good and the kid will prove it, but obviously he has to deal with the criticism when you miss a big chance, it’s just normal, like goalkeepers do as well when they make a mistake we are all over them, but I hope he gets plenty of opportunities going forward.”
The 24-year-old has found the target just once in his last 16 appearances for club and country, and three times in his last 37 outings.
Werner fired blank in his latest outing against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Thibaut Courtois producing one stunning block to deny him from close range.
