Scout report on new Borussia Dortmund signing Emre Can

History

Emre Can’s career is one that finds its beginnings in the very country he returns to by joining Borussia Dortmund, in Germany. Can started his journey into football looking to play a more offensive role; a role he pursued with boyhood club SV Blau-Gelb Frankfurt.

The Frankfurt native was quickly swooped up by Eintracht Frankfurt, and Die Adler continued to develop Can in the offensive vein.

As with most talented youth in Germany, it wasn’t long before his qualities were quickly noticed by Bayern Munich. In making the move from Die Adler to Die Roten, Can joined Bayern’s u17 setup at the age of 15. With Bayern, Can played a plethora of roles, including centre back.

In an interview with Chris Shaw for Liverpool’s official website back in 2017, Can underlined that despite playing in both the midfield and in the back line, he always gravitated more towards the middle of the park:

"“That’s why I liked midfield- you always have to do something. You have to challenge, you have to control the game, you have to play long balls, you have to shoot, you have to attack, and you have to defend,” Can said."

Perhaps Can’s assessment of why he enjoys playing as a central midfield is a testament to his versatility. In midfield, a player has to possess a diverse skillset. Players are asked to be a jack of all trades, if you will. They are asked to help provide cover for their back line, as well as create chances and score goals when the opportunity presents itself. It is perhaps this openness to versatility that attracted Dortmund to Can in the first place.

"Can also said, “I became a professional as a midfield player, but the good thing is I know I can play centre-back as well. At the end, managers have to decide that. Here [in Liverpool], it was the same – I played mostly at centre-back, three at the back, in the first year.”"

Following his stint with Bayern that lasted 4 years, (2009-2013), Can moved on to Bayer Leverkusen, where he spent a year, chipping in with 4 goals and 4 assists. He was then quickly snapped up by Liverpool in 2014. It would be in Liverpool that the world would learn his name.

As Can mentions in his interview with Shaw, his career with Liverpool saw him play both at the back and in central midfield. Can even made a few appearances at right back for Liverpool, further highlighting his versatility as a potential asset. In his time at Anfield, Can became known for his powerful shots from the edge of the box, and most notably scored the first competitive goal under current manager Jürgen Klopp.

Unfortunately for Can, while at Liverpool, the German international also became known for his injury history as well. Can missed 11 games that season due to injury.

Can’s injury woes followed him with his move to Juventus. In the 18/19 season Can missed another 11 games through various injury concerns, and totalled a number of 58 days on the sidelines. It would be at Juventus that Can would also find his route to the first team blocked, due in large part to his struggles to find match fitness.