Harry Kane’s hat-trick fired Bayern Munich to a record-breaking start in the Bundesliga, but Vincent Kompany was just as keen to highlight the "cautious" rise of teenage winger Lennart Karl. The 17-year-old became Bayern’s second-youngest Bundesliga starter and marked the occasion with an assist for Kane, as Kompany defended his gradual approach to nurturing academy talent.

Kane hat-trick powers Bayern past Hoffenheim

Kane delivered another masterclass in his recent Bundesliga outing where Bayern beat Hoffenheim 4-1 to maintain their perfect start to the season. The England striker opened the scoring just before the break, doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and completed his hat-trick with another clinical finish in the second half. Serge Gnabry added a late fourth to cap Bayern’s dominance, with the champions now boasting seven wins from seven competitive fixtures.

.AdvertisementGetty Images SportLennart Karl makes first Bundesliga start

The match was a landmark for 17-year-old Lennart, who became Bayern’s second-youngest Bundesliga starter. The winger marked the occasion with a cleverly executed corner routine to set up Kane’s opener, impressing in his debut before being substituted just after the hour mark. His performance underlined Bayern’s trust in youth, with Karl also becoming the club’s youngest-ever provider of an assist in the Bundesliga.

Kompany praises Kane and defends academy approach

However, Kompany has faced criticism in the German media for his alleged lack of faith in the younger players in the team, resulting in the Bundesliga giants losing highly-rated Paul Wanner to PSV and Adam Aznou to Everton in the summer.

The Belgian defended his use of Karl, though, and urged caution with the teenager as he acknowledged having Kane there to bury the chances will help build his confidence. He said to : "Last season, he played for the U17 and U19 teams. That shows that we rely on our talented players and have confidence in them. For me, there's zero pressure on Lenny. He should enjoy it. He always has his moments, too; that's his quality.

"If you put in a good cross at Bayern Munich, Harry Kane is there to shoot the ball in. That naturally helps the young players get into the game.

He added: "If he fights and runs like he's doing now, even if he's scored 10 or 15 more goals, then that's good. But we still have to take cautious steps with our talented players during this development phase, also because we believe in them very much."

AFPRecord-breaking start strengthens bayern’s title push

Bayern’s victory at Hoffenheim made it four Bundesliga wins out of four, adding to their midweek Champions League triumph over Chelsea. With Kane already on eight league goals, Kompany’s side look set for another dominant domestic campaign. The result also extended Bayern’s unbeaten run in competitive matches to 13, reinforcing their early status as heavy favourites to retain the title.

Attention now turns to Bayern’s home clash with Werder Bremen at the Allianz Arena on September 26. The Bavarians sit top of the Bundesliga with 12 points and an imposing goal difference, while Bremen are struggling near the bottom. For Kane, the target will be to continue his blistering form, while Karl’s development will be closely watched as Kompany weighs up how to integrate the teenager into Bayern’s long-term plans.