Will a Berlin boy return to Hertha? Hanover’s winger Linton Maina (22) switched from SV Empor to Lower Saxony eight years ago, but will not extend his expiring contract there.
By Carsten Priefer and Florian Krebs
The Berliners know that, which is why they sent scout Willi Kronhardt (53) to the Hanover game against Düsseldorf (0-0). Kronhardt (at Hertha since summer 2021) should watch the fast outside attacker to get an impression.
But: 96 coach Christoph Dabrowski (43) let Maina stew on the bench for 90 minutes. Bad luck for Kronhhardt – except for expenses nothing!
Nevertheless, Maina remains on Hertha’s shopping list. Mama Antje and his best friends live in Berlin, he spends every free minute here. And like most Hertha stars, she goes to star hairdresser Abbas Berjawi in the “Salon Venezia” in Wedding.
But not only Hertha has him on the list, Augsburg too.
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However, things haven’t been going so well for Maina lately. After the steep climb from youth to professional level, injuries, infections and crises in form overshadowed his young career. After being relegated to the Bundesliga in 2019, he was the most valuable professional in the second division at seven million euros. His current market value according to Transfermarkt.de: only 1.8 million.
Coach Dabrowski says: “He has enough advisors around him, I’m not his dad either. I can only advise him on what to focus on. In the end it’s about this: If you want to assert yourself permanently in professional football at a high level, then you need mental strength, resilience and physical stability. So that you can go through the mill – consistently over several years.”
Maybe soon at Hertha?
