The first sign of Malik Tillman’s status here comes at the customs desk in Eindhoven Airport when Mail Sport are asked about the purpose of their visit.
When Tillman’s name is mentioned, the officer at border control begins to wax lyrical about the 22-year-old midfielder, who came through the Bayern Munich ranks.
Tillman may not be well known across wider footballing circles yet but with the likes of Chelsea interested in the profile of the American international, it will not be long before that changes.
Born in Germany, Tillman joined Bayern with his brother Timothy in 2015 and after spells on loan at Rangers and PSV, the Dutch side activated their option to buy him last summer for £12million.
Four miles away from the airport at PSV’s De Herdgang training complex, Tillman meets Mail Sport in a room filled with pictures showing the history of this club.
PSV accept they are a selling club and it is here where the likes of Romario, Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben passed through.
Sir Bobby Robson managed here in the 1990s and more recently, players like Georginio Wijnaldum, Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke have all moved to England from Eindhoven.
Tillman isn’t shy to insist that the Premier League is the dream, stating that PSV were very clear in their own strategy of developing players and that it played a part in getting him to make the move, even though Bayern have a £35m buy-back clause that becomes active in the summer of 2026, when he hopes to play in a World Cup on home soil.
‘They (PSV) told me they want to develop players and sell for big money,’ he says. ‘So yeah, the Premier League is a dream. It’s the best league in the world and it’s a dream of mine to play there. I see myself at a top Premier League club that can win the league and compete for the Champions League and in general, competes for trophies.’
That is not to say that his focus is on anything but PSV right now. In a season disrupted by an ankle injury that ruled him out from January till March, Tillman has 13 goals and four assists, averaging a goal involvement every 132 minutes and credits the manager Peter Bosz for unlocking his talents.
‘If you see Malik on the field, you know what you’ve been missing,’ Bosz said earlier this month.
While Mauricio Pochettino, the USA boss, has compared his physicality to that of his former student Dele Alli and described Tillman as an ‘unbelievable talent’.
Tillman actually already has a Champions League medal. He was part of the Bayern squad that won the trophy in 2020 as an 18-year-old and there’s a lovely picture of him alongside Jamal Musiala and Joshua Zirkzee on the outfield in Lisbon that night.
‘It’s a special feeling to be a part of it,’ he recalls. ‘You wouldn’t know I was there but it does mean a lot to be there. I want to be there again now.'
We are speaking shortly after Zirkzee was booed off at Old Trafford by his own fans and for Tillman, who still keeps in touch with the Man Utd player, there is no surprise at that reaction because of his own experience in Scotland, even though he feels for his friend.
‘He’s an amazing player with so many qualities. Ask anyone who has trained with him at Bologna or Man United and they will say the same thing but that kind of reaction is just English football really,’ he says.
‘You have one bad game and everyone hates you. They love football and want their team to win so I get it but it’s really harsh. I’ve lived in Scotland and played at Rangers so it’s the same. I’m used to it. I want to be the best I can be.'
He spent 2022-23 at Rangers, scoring 12 goals and getting five assists before moving to the Netherlands. Tthe opportunity for regular first-team football at Bayern wasn’t there.
‘I wanted to leave Bayern and play consistently on a high level and show people because I knew I was ready, he says. ‘Bayern told me that my mentality needed to improve and that was the biggest part in Scotland - there was a different pressure at Ibrox and it wasn’t just about how good you were with the ball.
'It was everything else like the mentality to win duels, defend for your life, running non-stop and stuff like that and that was the biggest part.’
There is still work to be done however. Just last week, he was slammed by his own manager and team-mates for turning up late before a game. He was benched and subsequently fined and was previously dropped for sleeping in.
When we meet, it is shortly after the winter break but a week later, Tillman gets injured and misses out on PSV’s clashes against Liverpool and Arsenal in the Champions League. At the time he had created more chances (21) than any other player in the competition.
When Mail Sport brings up this stat, Tillman insists that he has always known his ability. His versatility is highlighted by the fact that he can play as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder or as a left winger, who can cut in with his stronger right foot.
‘I know I can do it. For me it was only surprising because I’ve played in the number six in the Champions League,’ he says. I know that I can play a lot of positions but I prefer to play as an eight or a ten because it suits my qualities the most, playing in between the lines and showing how creative I can be.'
We ask what his qualities are and after a bit more of a push, he opens up with a smile.
‘I’m quite football intelligent so I know when and where to be on the pitch and when it comes to the final third, I know I can score goals and provide assists,’ he says.
Paul Pogba is one of his main inspirations but he believes he can take something from everyone while maintaining his own identity on the pitch.
‘Pogba’s the one I looked up to the most but I take stuff from every player. Kevin De Bruyne for example and when I was Bayern, it was players like Thiago and Joshua Kimmich. But I’m my player with my own style,’ he says.
After surgery in Doha, then rehab in Munich, Tillman has come back earlier than expected from the injury which threatened to end his season and is showing his worth already, with two goals in the four games he’s played since returning. He is refreshed and ready to go again.
‘You can be ready for a hyped up Malik who will give everything, ‘he says. ‘On and off the pitch, I might seem like a chilled guy and I really am but I’m always willing to learn and develop as a person and a footballer. It’s about consistency every day now and that’s the aim. I know I have the qualities and it’s about showing them.’
Tillman reveals that has started to learn Spanish. ‘I already speak English and German - they’re good languages but I’m trying to learn a new one and it’s something more exotic,’ he says.
This season, he has his own chef and is focusing a lot more on gym work with the simple idea that if he gets bigger and stronger, he will be tougher to deal with on the pitch.
There’s a brilliant clip from earlier in the season on CBS when Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher were keen to discuss Tillman’s hairstyle and he revealed that he only pays €3.50 for a trim in Eindhoven.
If he does get the Premier League move that he desires, there’s no doubt that he’ll have to pay a little more for his haircuts. Not that he’ll mind of course.