Randal Kolo Muani ran down the slope at the World Cup arena to the training ground with springy steps.

The French national player did not look like someone who is about to leave Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday;

Media from France had reported at the beginning of the week that Manchester United wanted to sign the 24-year-old striker as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.

When the Hessians started training in the new year, Kolo Muani, who also caught the attention of Bayern Munich, clearly had fun with his colleagues: he laughed a lot and communicated eagerly, and was right in the middle of the action.

George Daniels

Editor in the sports department

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"Randal was in a great mood today, very happy and funny, he made an incredibly positive impression," said coach Oliver Glasner after the morning session, which lasted around 80 minutes.

Before the gallop on the field, Glasner had congratulated the Frenchman on second place at the World Championships in Qatar in front of the assembled team, there was plenty of applause.

Behind Kolo Muani, who had won the cup with Nantes and got off to a great start in the Bundesliga, was "an extraordinary and great year, Randal can be proud of it," said Glasner.

Serene Glasner is amused

Like Kolo Muani, Kevin Trapp has also been traded on the transfer market in the past few days.

The goalkeeper said that Bayern Munich, which is looking for a replacement for the injured national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, has asked the Trapp side for a possible engagement.

"Rumours here, rumors there – I'm still very relaxed and sleep very well," Glasner reacted to the speculation with great composure.

On the one hand, sports director Markus Krösche, who dismissed the rumors about Trapp as nonsense, stated that Eintracht did not want to lose any important players in the winter.

In addition, the players had told him that they "definitely want to play the second half of the season at Eintracht," said the football teacher.

That's why he's not worried.

That was amusement,” he classified the news situation for himself.

On the other hand, Glasner gave his approval for a change of club to Jérôme Onguéné;

the defender joins RB Salzburg on loan.

Onguéné had a "personally difficult year, it's important for him to get match practice and get his rhythm back," said the coach.

For the first time in seven weeks, Glasner had his squad back together on Tuesday – with a few exceptions.

Because Daichi Kamada had received permission to fly from Japan to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, where Eintracht in Dubai will have their training camp for ten days until January 14th.

Although Mario Götze had spent his vacation in Dubai, he still had to return to Frankfurt to start the journey with the team.

"Japan progressed at the World Cup, Germany didn't" - that was Glasner's justification for Kamada's special role.

Tuta, who had taken his driver's license test in Brazil and therefore only arrived in Frankfurt during the day, was excused for the first training session on Tuesday.

The talent Marcel Wenig is not yet available;

According to the club, the midfielder is in “individual rehab” after breaking his metatarsal.

Captain Sebastian Rode got involved in the morning session for a good half hour before he made his way back to the pro camp.

Bodily issues?

no

"It's all ok.

It's going to continue this afternoon," said Rode.

With constant intensity in the triple load

Eintracht have a good two weeks of preparation before the first league game of the year on January 21 (3.30 p.m. in the F.AZ. live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) at home against Schalke 04. Glasner’s team is fourth in the table with three Points behind the second Freiburg to tackle the second half of the season.

"We want to be better than we were - that must be our goal and aspiration," said Glasner, setting the course.

"We want to take another step forward."

The Austrian would prefer it if the Frankfurters were successful in lockstep in the Champions League, in the Bundesliga and in the DFB Cup.

"We don't prioritize," he said, referring to the importance of the competitions.

In the previous season, Eintracht complained about a slump in the second half of the Bundesliga season: only 15 points were added to the 27 points in the second half.

The Europa League win, which made Hessen a Champions League participant, outshone the sadness in the league.

“Anyone who knows us knows that we strive for the greatest possible success in the three competitions.

What we have achieved is not enough for us,” stressed Glasner.

"We don't want to rest on our laurels." Regarding the Frankfurt program up to the start of the league game, he announced that Frankfurt would "train again in all areas and set priorities".

"We certainly conceded one or two too many goals," admitted Glasner.

A data analysis has shown that “in principle we are in the top five in the Bundesliga in all areas in terms of our defensive behavior, but the standard goals conceded, we are penultimate.

That's where we have the greatest potential.” On Tuesday, the flow of the game faltered in training.

"The ball bounced more than it ran.

Nevertheless, Kolo Muani was happy to return to Frankfurt.

And Glasner said about the transfer rumors: "Something extraordinary can always happen.

But the conditions for us to stay together, which I consider very important, are good.