Lahm played for Germany from 2004 to 2014 and made 113 appearances for the national side. In 2014, he captained Germany to their fourth World Cup crown in Brazil and retired from international football after the tournament.

"I'm not trying to copy Lahm. I want to be Joshua Kimmich, not second Philipp Lahm," Kimmich said when asked if he saw himself as a successor to the retired defender.

The 23-year-old, who has been capped 29 times for Germany, added that he was not intimidated by his more experienced teammates.

"If I've got something to say, I'm not afraid to express my opinion, and it doesn't matter if it is an experienced player or not. Thus we improve the performance of the whole team," Kimmich said.

Defending champions Germany will play their first game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against Mexico at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday.

The four-time champions will also play Sweden in Sochi on June 23 and South Korea in Kazan on June 27 in their Group F.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will last till July 15, with the games set to be played at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities.