Delighted Matthäus says that new German team 'must' win Euro 2024

Former World Cup winner Lothar Matthäus on Tuesday heaped praise on the national team in general and returning Toni Kroos in particular.

"It all fits together," Matthäus said at sponsor event in Frankfurt, adding that the team not only can win Euro 2024 but "must become European champions."

Euro hosts Germany played one of their best games in recent years in a 2-0 victory against France with a partially new-look team and the same players are set to face the Netherlands in another friendly on Tuesday night.

"That's the right way to go. The German team has shown more potential than in previous games. We have excellent players, we have young players. We have experienced players who have already won everything," Matthäus said.

He singled out Real Madrid's Toni Kroos, the 2014 World Cup winner who came out of almost three years of international retirement and pulled the strings in midfield of Julian Nagelsmann's team.

"Toni Kroos is indispensable in Ancelotti's team at Real Madrid," the 1990 world champion and German record capped Matthäus said.

"Julian Nagelsmann has positioned him to be the leader right from the start. He sets the rhythm and tries to stabilise the defence. It's like a game of chess: no move is unnecessary. I've seen a lot of passes into the offence, that's what makes him stand out."

The Netherland match is the last before Nagelsmann is set to nominate his proivisional squad for the Euros. Final tests against Ukraine and Greece are to follow in early June before Germany open the tournament on June 14 against Scotland, with Hungary and Switzerland the other group stage opponents.