Germany coach hails forthcoming "golden generation"

BERLIN, Dec 11 (Reuters) Germany can look forward to a new golden generation of players in the next few years, coach Joachim Loew predicted today.

Reviewing a year in which Germany finished third at the World Cup, Loew said there were 12 to 15 youngsters on the fringes of the national team with great prospects.

''Beside the established figures like Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings, Jens Lehmann, Miroslav Klose and Bernd Schneider we have many players coming through with great potential,'' Loew told a news conference in Frankfurt.

''In the next few years we can see a new golden generation coming through.'' Germany's success at the World Cup was based partly on the good form of young players such as Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Per Mertesacker.

Loew, who was Juergen Klinsmann's assistant at the World Cup and stepped up to the top job after the tournament, has since given debuts to more young players including Piotr Trochowski of Hamburg SV and Jan Schlaudraff of Alemannia Aachen.

today he singled out several other players close to winning first caps.

They included Mario Gomez, who has scored eight goals for VfB Stuttgart this season, Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Eugen Polanski, Bayer Leverkusen midfielders Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kiessling and Hertha Berlin defender Kevin-Prince Boateng.

''We have the ability in the team now to play at a high level for a number of years to come,'' Loew said.

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