Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich has said his children helped him to come to terms with Germany's early exit from the World Cup in Qatar last December.
"I didn't necessarily fall in to a hole, I think that's also a bit thanks to my three children. You have other things to do," he told a news conference at Bayern's training camp in Doha on Wednesday.
"The statements after the game were obviously emotional. We had big aims but went out early again. It really hurt because you don't get many chances with the national team," the player said.
After an early exit in 2018 in Russia, Germany were again eliminated in the group stage as victory over Costa Rica in the last round was not enough after a defeat to Japan and a draw with Spain.
At the time, Kimmich spoke of the "most difficult day of my career" and said he was "a bit afraid of really falling into a hole."
Looking ahead into the second half of the season with Bundesliga leaders Bayern, Kimmich said the have "some tough tasks coming up, obviously also in the Champions League," where Bayern face Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
"We have to work our way into that flow again. We've got a tough away game in Leipzig to start, which will be a test for us. Picking up that run again is the goal," he said, referring to their Bundesliga resumption against RB Leipzig on January 20.
