One’s sorrow, the other’s joy: new signing Ryan Gravenberch is supposed to compensate for Leon Goretzka’s weeks-long absence at FC Bayern Munich.
“He now has an earlier chance to make his mark on our game. If he plays the way he trains, I think we’ll have a lot of fun with him,” said coach Julian Nagelsmann on Tuesday in Washington ahead of the friendly against DC United on Wednesday.
Gravenberch, who came from Ajax Amsterdam for a fee of 18.5 million euros, has “made an excellent impression in training” so far, Nagelsmann said. “He’s a very fine footballer and always has good ideas. He has incredible coordination, controlling his bones and the ball.”
The 20-year-old is a “link player between defensive and offensive”, but still has “potential in terms of defence”.
Goretzka had an operation on his left knee at the beginning of the week to get his ongoing problems there under control. The national player is expected to be absent for several weeks.