Three Borussia Dortmund youngsters looking to make most of pre-season opportunity
By Tushar Bahl
Youssoufa Moukoko
Moukoko may not have turned 16 yet, but he has already been handed a first team shirt number. The striker will follow in the footsteps of fellow academy graduates Lars Ricken and Nuri Sahin by having the number 18 on his back, and the chances of him making his senior debut this season are very high.
Coming on the back of a stellar campaign with the U-19s which saw him score 38 goals in just 28 appearances, Moukoko is now training with the first team, and will be eligible to make his Bundesliga debut when he turns 16 in November.
The chances of him making his first team bow this season are further increased by the fact that Borussia Dortmund are not planning to sign a back-up striker to Erling Haaland. Granted, Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt and Marco Reus can all play in that role, as they did last season. But they aren’t natural strikers, and that could play into Moukoko’s hands if the club decide that he is ready to feature in the first team after his 16th birthday.
Obviously, it is very important to manage expectations considering the fact that Moukoko is still only 15. But he has the talent to succeed, and there is no doubt that we will see him play at the Signal Iduna Park sooner rather than later.