Sami Khedira is not prepared to stand aside and let Michael Ballack return to the Germany first team.
Midfielder warns veteran not to take place for granted
New Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira is not prepared to stand aside and let Michael Ballack return to the Germany first team.
Khedira grabbed his chance to impress with both hands in Ballack's injury-enforced absence from this summer's World Cup finals.
The 23-year-old was one of the star performers for Joachim Low's young team as they reached the semi-finals and he earned his move to the Bernabeu as a result.
It has been debated whether Ballack will return to the Germany team but Khedira has warned the former Chelsea man that he cannot take his place for granted.
World class
"I will certainly not voluntarily stand back when we are talking about places in the starting XI," said Khedira in the
Welt newspaper.
And he believes his move to Real can help him fend off the challenge of Ballack for a berth in the team.
"I can bring the experiences I gain (in Madrid) with me into the national team," he added.
"From a sporting viewpoint, it is the next step towards being world class.
"I have always said that I want to become a top international player. With all respect for Stuttgart, whom I have a lot to thank, Real is in another category."
