Polanski praises 16-year-old
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Marko Marin has been replaced by Wael Mohya as Borussia Mönchengladbach’s youngest Bundesliga professional, who made his debut in the top German league in a 3-1 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg. At the end of October, the 16-year-old midfielder had already dethroned Karlheinz Pflipsen as the youngest Gladbach player in history in the DFB Cup. Despite the defeat, Mohya received a lot of praise from coach Eugen Polanski and sports director Rouven Schröder after his first appearance in the Bundesliga.
“I was very, very happy with Wael. He fought hard for the minutes he got over the last few months. He had to wait long enough. I’m happy that we can train guys like that in our performance center,” said Polanski, who substituted Mohya for Giovanni Reyna in the 57th minute. Schröder also had a decent debut. “Wael is a really carefree guy. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit is not that easy, that speaks for his mental stability. He did well. We are very happy that we have the boy with us,” said the sports director.
Borussia’s previous record holder was Marin, who was 18 years and 18 days old when he made his Bundesliga debut in March 2007. Mohya, who turns 17 on December 31, was 16 years, 11 months and 12 days, more than a year younger than Marin when he made his first appearance in the upper house. In the Bundesliga comparison, the Gladbach talent is in tenth place. This season only one professional, Leipzig’s Samba Konaté, was younger than Mohya (see article).
Top talent at Borussia Mönchengladbach: Who is Mohya?
Mohya has proven in Gladbach’s U17 that he can be a difference player. He celebrated the championship with the offspring of foals, in which he played a major role, among other things, in the decisive games. In the semi-final against FC Bayern (3:1) he scored twice, in the final against RB Leipzig (3:1) he scored one goal and prepared another. He mostly operates in the attacking midfield. In the latest market value update, Mohya received his first valuation at 1 million euros, even though he was not yet employed as a professional.
TM user and Gladbach expert “BorussenUwe” puts it this way: “Mohya impresses with his exceptionally good playing instincts – he always has the follow-up action in mind and makes clever decisions on the field. He is very advanced for his age, especially when it comes to decision-making. He can be used variably in the offensive, and was there in preparation with the professionals on both wings and as a ten. He is also considered to be extremely willing to learn and seeks advice from older players, In order to develop further, he is still growing physically and is not yet at the level of a seasoned professional. He lacks physical robustness and fighting strength. He will be introduced carefully and not with a large backpack. (Join the discussion about Mohya in the community here)