Gio Reyna “can be whatever he wants to be”, says former United States international Brad Friedel, with the Borussia Dortmund playmaker told he would not look out of place at Real Madrid or a Premier League heavyweight if a future transfer were to be sought.
For now, the highly-rated 18-year-old is very much focused on the present, with another injury needing to be shaken off in Germany while the USMNT star takes aim at the 2022 World Cup.
It is, however, expected that there will come a time when big career calls need to be made, with Reyna’s obvious potential already being noted by leading sides across Europe.
What has been said?
Former U.S. goalkeeper Friedel, who spoke to GOAL in association with sports betting site Betway US, said of Reyna’s promise: “He can be whatever he wants to be. His dad [Claudio] was one helluva player.
“He needs to stay fit also. He has had some issues. But he has done remarkably well. Basically from the first moment that he went over he has done well and gone from strength to strength.”
Pressed further on whether Reyna could star in English football at some stage, as his dad once did, Friedel added: “He could play in the Premier League.
“When you come over to the Premier League, there is a learning curve because of the physicality of it. Could he get used to it, adapt and thrive? Absolutely.
“He can graft and do the defensive work, do the pressing, if that is what the system of play calls for. He has the tools to be all of that.
“Also, being at Dortmund, that is one of the big boys in Germany. He is used to a big club, so that won’t be an issue if he were to go.
“I imagine that if he were to ever leave Dortmund, he would go to another very big club. That will just seem normal to him and won’t be daunting.”
Could Reyna be the next Modric?
Along with the inevitable links to ambitious sides in the Premier League, Reyna has also sparked talk of interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid.
It has been suggested that he could be targeted by the Blancos as a long-term successor to Luka Modric, a player that Friedel once played alongside at Tottenham.
He said of that big billing: “They are different. Gio would need to play a lot more games to control the tempo of a game like Luka Modric.
“They are different players. Luka is one of the special midfielders that can play six, eight or 10. He can control a whole game with his passing – speed it up, slow it down and it doesn’t even look like he’s running. That is something not taught, not coached, it’s just in his footballing brain.
“There are many more games that Gio will need to play in order to be there, but could he play at one of the big clubs? Could he play at Real Madrid one day? Yes. I think he has that quality.”