Deniz Undav should now start for Germany at the World Cup after his match-winning double off the bench against Ivory Coast, the country's record appearance maker Lothar Matthäus said on Sunday.
Undav turned the game around in Toronto, with his stoppage-time winner sending Germany to the knock-out stages for the first time since they lifted the trophy in 2014.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann was non-committal on Undav starting going forward, saying his impact as a substitute could be more important.
Germany have already wrapped up top spot in Group E so Thursday's game with Ecuador has nothing riding on it for the four-times champions. But 1990 World Cup winner Matthäus thinks Undav should start then and in the knock-outs.
"I do believe that you would now have to start Undav from the beginning - in terms of his performance, in terms of his work rate," Matthäus said in a column for Sky Germany.
"Undav of course does not want to be a substitute. Nobody wants that. In the end every player sees it as their aim to offer themselves to the coach. And Undav did that."
The VfB Stuttgart forward also scored off the bench and created two goals in the opening 7-1 thrashing of Curaçao. The 29-year-old, a late bloomer, now has nine goals from just 11 international appearances.
Matthäus also praised the other substitutes for the comeback against the Elephants. He also believes the Ecuador game is still important for morale.
"It all worked and that is a great insight for the coach," he said.
"The team will also want to win this last group match - simply to keep the atmosphere high, keep the tension high. You should keep a rhythm and a core. Only top-class opponents are left."
