AMSTERDAM – While Hamburg winger Julian Green is indeed set for a Wednesday sitdown with sporting director Peter Knäbel, both the club and his agent have denied that the on-loan US international called the meeting or that he is currently on the verge of being sent back to parent club Bayern Munich.
In addition to those erroneous suggestions, various reports on both sides of the Atlantic also incorrectly claimed that the 19-year-old Tampa native refused an assignment from manager Josef Zinnbauer to suit up with the HSV second team this past weekend.
"Nobody from the club has talked to Julian, so far, because of which there will be a meeting tomorrow," Green's agent, Roman Grill, told MLSsoccer.com. "It is a topic made up by the media and only conjecture."
Last week, Knäbel told reporters that the American would probably see time with the fourth-division reserves to increase his match fitness. Though a Hamburg spokesman would not delve into the specific charge that Green refused assignment over the weekend, he did offer that it wasn't quite accurate and that the general subject would definitely come up in Wednesday's meeting.
"That will be one topic of discussion tomorrow: whether he wants to play some for the U-23 team," HSV press officer Lars Wegener told MLSsoocer.com on Tuesday.
Wegener also joined Grill in rejecting reports that Green was about to be shipped back to Bayern and that he requested Wednesday's pow-wow to gripe over or insist playing time. The attacker started on his Hamburg debut under Mirko Slomka, who was axed two weeks after Green’s arrival. Since Zinnbauer took the reins in mid-September, the youngster has been limited to 64 minutes in four sub appearances, the last of which came on November 29. He has dressed for just one of HSV's last eight Bundesliga contests.
Despite the struggles, Grill says his client is certainly not trying to give up on the loan and head back to Munich early.
"Julian is confident that he can help the team succeed," said the agent. "Last year, he played for the FC Bayern U-23's and scored 15 goals in 23 matches. This is not an option for Julian.
"He wants to show his quality and prevail in the Bundesliga. Julian has a contract in Hamburg until the end of the season. After this season, he will come back to Bayern."
Thirteenth-place Hamburg stand two points above the danger line ahead of Sunday's league visit from Fabian Johnson and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Meanwhile, Regionalliga Nord leaders HSV II will try to halt a four-game losing slide when third-place Wolfsburg II invades on Saturday.
