Mateu Morey: What does the future hold for the Borussia Dortmund right back?

What are Morey’s, and Dortmund’s most reasonable option for the approaching season?

The next steps that both Morey, and Dortmund take this pre season in terms of the right back position will be critical in determining the future trajectory of Morey’s career in the long term. While the player clearly can’t be Dortmund’s first choice right back going into next season, I think that the club and the player have a future that can still be fruitful for both parties.

There are two options that I think that Dortmund should explore in particular. Firstly, depending on the players that the club manages to clear out this summer (Thomas Meunier in particular), and depending on Morey’s performances pre season, Morey could stay and play a backup role at Dortmund and gradually earn minutes based on what he shows in training. We saw last season that there isn’t any singular player in the squad, save perhaps Julian Ryerson, that can lay claim to the right back position. Ryerson, for all his versatility and fight on the pitch, will continue to fill a back up role across the defensive line, with the Norwegian likely to deputize for Ramy Bensebaini as well. Marius Wolf was also shown to be a willing runner for the team, but not at the level to start week in-week out as the club’s first choice right back. This lack of of a clear option could allow Morey to compete and push for minutes on the pitch, even if a new starting right back is signed.

Morey himself seems up for the challenge. In an interview with the club after Dortmund’s first test-game of pre season against Westfalia Rhynern this week, Morey expressed his happiness to be at the club and his willingness to help the team this coming season:

"“It feels very good. I am very happy to be back on the pitch. It’s not easy to be back after two years. I enjoy playing here. It’s important for me to get minutes again….I played 45 minutes after a very long time, everything was perfect. I am not afraid, I have no pain. Now I want to complete the preparation. Then I want to give everything for the team.”"

For a player like Morey, bouncing back from such a serious injury setback will be a balancing act; one that will require that the player is not over-burdened by the intensity at which he is expected to play. This is why the other option, a loan to either a lower tier Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 side, would make for a good option for both the club and player as well. If Morey were to go out on loan and show promise, the club would have a choice to make; On one hand, depending on the performances of the other players in the squad across next season, he could be brought back to compete for the starting position or to start himself. He would be far more fit and match ready, having been able to come back and re-adjust in a lower pressure environment that wouldn’t put him under as much additional strain

On the flip side, his performances may attract interest from clubs around Europe, and perhaps urge Dortmund to allow him to leave so that they can make a profit and invest in other areas of the squad. It is because of this that I am against the idea of separation at this time. There still may be a better solution down the line if the club allow him re-discover his form, be it with the club or out on loan.

The future is very uncertain for Mateu Morey at this time, hence we don’t know what direction his career will go in. What we do know, however, is that Dortmund have a player who is willing to work and help his team in any way that he can. It is a low risk, and possibly high reward situation for the club to giver him a chance to succeed, and after everything he’s been through, Morey deserves a chance to show what he’s capable of moving forward.