Podolski pledges Bayern future
Bayern Munich's German international star Lukas Podolski on Monday scotched rumours about his departure from the German champions, after talks with new coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
"I've just had a meeting with Jurgen Klinsmann. For now, I'm concentrating on the coming season," said Podolski, who has recently been linked with a move away from the German giants.
Asked if he would be wearing the Bayern strip when the club take on Hamburg in the first game of the season, Podolski replied: "Of course."
He spent most of last season on the bench behind Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni - last season's top Bundesliga scorer - making just four league starts as Bayern did the German league and cup double.
"I cannot be happy with what happened last season. I didn't play much and it's normal to ask questions," the 23-year-old said on Monday.
"My goal for this season is to not be on the bench," he added.
Klinsmann was impressed by Podolski's performances at Euro 2008, where the striker netted three times and started all six games to take his international tally to 54 caps and 28 goals.
Podolski joined Bayern for 10 million euros (15.7 million US dollars) from Cologne after the 2006 World Cup.
Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City and Italian side Juventus have expressed an interest in Podolski, as have German clubs Werder Bremen, Cologne and VfB Stuttgart.
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