Mateu Morey earns praise from Michael Zorc after Borussia Dortmund debut

Borussia Dortmund youngster Mateu Morey has received praise from Michael Zorc after impressing on his long awaited debut last weekend.

Mateu Morey came on as a substitute in the 87th minute of Borussia Dortmund’s comprehensive win over Paderborn on Sunday, replacing Achraf Hakimi at right wing back. However, three minutes plus stoppage time was all he needed to make an impression.

The 20 year old was involved in two of Borussia Dortmund’s six goals. He dribbled past two players before finding Gio Reyna in the build-up to Marcel Schmelzer’s goal. And his pass to find Jadon Sancho for the sixth goal while he was being closed down, showed great vision and excellent composure.

His performance even caught the eye of Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc, who praised Morey’s commitment and hard-work. Speaking to Ruhr Nachrichten, Zorc said:

"“Mateu’s appearance on Sunday was the well deserved reward for his hard work. And even if it was only a short assignment and we already led when he was brought in, he still did his job well. He didn’t get nervous and put his ball skills to good use.”"

Morey has had to patiently bide his time since his move from Barcelona last summer. The Spaniard impressed during pre-season, but then suffered a shoulder injury which slowed his progress. After recovering from his injury, Morey spent the majority of the first half of the season playing for the Borussia Dortmund U23s.

He made the first-team bench on a number of occasions, but had to endure a long wait to get on the pitch. Sunday’s cameo was actually Morey’s first ever appearance in professional football.

But after making an immediate impact on his debut, no one can deny that Morey deserves more chances in the first team. With Achraf Hakimi expected to return to Real Madrid in the summer, hopefully Morey will get the chance to stake a claim for a regular starting berth next season.