19-year-old United States Men’s National Team rising star Julian Green—whose controversial selection to the World Cup squad was justified with his extra time goal in the U.S.’s 2-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16—will not be playing for home club Bayern Munich this season.
According to Green’s father, he will be loaned out to Bundesliga club Hamburg SV for the season on a strictly one-year deal before returning to Munich next season. The move will give Green a chance to see regular first team action in the Bundesliga, which will be critically important for his development.
While he’ll no longer get the chance to train alongside the likes of Arjen Robben , Franck Ribery, and Thomas Muller, he’ll nevertheless be able to use his time on the field to further develop the on-the-ball strength and pace he needs to succeed in the international game.
The move has the full support of US coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who according to Julian’s father Jerry Green “is high on Hamburg. He knows the coach. He knows the people there. It's a great opportunity for Julian to play some games.”
Julian Green will join a Hamburg team that barely avoided relegation last year, and has already played the first two games of their season. They’ve picked up just one point in that pair of matches and have yet to score a goal, so they could certainly use some of Green’s attacking flair.
[via ESPN FC]
