Marco Rose: Tom Rothe showed against Wolfsburg that he can play at this level
By Tushar Bahl
Marco Rose praised Tom Rothe during his press conference on Thursday, and added that the goal is to now integrate him and the other U-19s players into the first-team in the coming weeks and months.
Tom Rothe enjoyed a dream first-team debut last weekend as he scored to help Borussia Dortmund clinch a 6-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg. The 17 year old became the fourth youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history with his goal against Wolfsburg. And Marco Rose heaped praise on him on Thursday.
During his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Marco Rose said that Rothe’s performance against Wolfsburg showed he is capable of playing at the top level.
"“We were all happy for and with Tom Rothe,” Rose said. “It shows the added value of our good work with the young players. He played a very good game for 90 minutes. Now we have to see how we can integrate Tom and the other guys in the coming weeks. We know with Tom that he can still improve defensively in terms of his timing and positional play.”“Tom Rothe has proven that he can play at this level. Now we have to develop things in detail. If the guys train consistently and perform well, they will always get the chance for us.”"
Tom Rothe could be in line for more first-team minutes this weekend, with Borussia Dortmund’s injury crisis showing no signs of slowing down. Gregor Kobel and Axel Witsel have joined BVB’s injury list ahead of the game against Bayern Munich, and Marco Rose may have to call upon players from the U-19s team once again.
In addition to Rothe, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Lion Semic also made their Borussia Dortmund first-team debuts last weekend. And the trio are expected to be included in the squad once again on Saturday.
Next. Tom Rothe highlights the youth talent at Borussia Dortmund’s disposal in win vs Wolfsburg. dark
Rothe, Bynoe-Gittens and Semic are just three of the many exciting players in Borussia Dortmund’s U-19s squad. The BVB U-19s are enjoying an excellent season, and have already won the U-19s Bundesliga West title. And we will no doubt see a number of players from the U-19s squad get a first-team opportunity in the coming months and years.