Goetze puts Bayern woes aside to shine for Germany

MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany attacking midfielder Mario Goetze's goal and overall performance in their 4-1 victory over Italy on Tuesday will hopefully boost his confidence as he struggles for playing time at Bayern Munich, coach Joachim Loew said. The 23-year-old has been largely overlooked by Bayern coach Pep Guardiola since returning from a five-month injury break in February, with speculation over a possible move back to Borussia Dortmund gaining traction in recent weeks. "Mario earned this (performance) himself," Loew told reporters. "I can understand why he may be playing less at Bayern at the moment because they have a great squad and he was injured for a long time. "But Mario has worked hard in the past weeks, he did individual training sessions to get back to his best and I hope the game today gave him the self-confidence he needs for the for the coming weeks." Goetze, who scored Germany's winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, has never held down a regular starting spot under Guardiola despite his big-money move from Dortmund in 2013. Loew has kept faith with Goetze, however, and the gifted player paid him back by heading in Germany's second goal on Tuesday and then helping set up their third with a jaw-dropping flick that eventually saw Jonas Hector score. "It was important for me to play again," Goetze told reporters. "I am very happy to have been on the pitch and it is just great to feel that my coach is trusting me. This means a lot for me at the moment." It is not the first time Goetze's future at Bayern has been in doubt with the player mainly left on the bench as the Bavarians charge towards a treble of titles. He had also complained about his limited playing time at the start of the season. Asked about his future plans, Goetze, whose contract with Bayern runs out in 2017, remained coy. "For me it is important to play because that is when I am happy," he said. "Everything else will come by itself and there's no need to talk about that." (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Martyn Herman)