Bundesliga: Solid Kevin Volland short of the spectacular

Kevin Volland's brace against Paderborn got Leverkusen off to a winning start in 2020, but the striker continues to struggle to get enough recognition for his efforts. A return to the Germany team is unlikely.

This was a typical performance from Kevin Volland - busy, tireless, instinctive. His first header was superbly taken, his second the kind a striker should feast on. The 27-year-old missed chances in the first and second half to score a hat trick, but delivered the pass before the assist to quash Paderborn's hopes of a comeback as Leverkusen ran out 4-1 winners.

A brace to beat the worst team in the Bundesliga isn't a hat trick off the bench on your debut though, nor is it a brace to keep your side top of the table.

The striker who scored 14 and assisted 12 last season suffers from not being spectacular in an age of football that so often demands more than just scoring.

The former Hoffenheim man scored regularly in the first half of this season, albeit never more than once in a game. The brace on matchday 18 was a welcome change though. It was the striker's first two-goal game since March of last year, the first time he's scored two goals with his head in a game and the fastest double of his career (two minutes and 37 seconds). He is on course for his third straight season of scoring 10 or more goals.

Solid but not spectacular

And yet Volland remains the afterthought striker, the player often forgotten when listing talented German strikers. Perhaps it's because he lacks the spec

Volland is a popular figure in the team