Niko Kovač full of praise for young Dortmund talent

1 hour ago 9

By Regan Horn@horn_regan

Mathis Albert has received glowing praise from Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovač after an impressive start to pre-season.

Dortmund have high hopes for the highly rated attacking prospect, who has already caught the eye during the club’s summer preparations. Although the 17-year-old made only one brief Bundesliga appearance last season, he has looked sharp in pre-season and even found the net against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Kovač was quick to highlight the youngster’s qualities.

“You can see what abilities he has. He’s fast, strong in the air, and I have to say he put in a lot of effort,” the Dortmund coach said after the match.

Known for demanding a high level of defensive discipline from his players, Kovač has clearly been pleased with Albert’s willingness to improve without the ball.

The teenager admitted that the increased tactical and physical demands have helped take his game to another level.

“It has helped me take a certain aspect of my game to a new level. Before, I wasn’t the best in some areas, but this has motivated me to work much harder. There are higher demands, such as the work rate and the space that needs to be covered, especially in the new, more central position. This has definitely helped my game a lot.”

Albert, who regards Kylian Mbappé as his role model, is not lacking in ambition. Looking beyond pre-season, the American youngster has set himself lofty goals at the club.

My dream is to become an important player for the club and to stand out, to be a true leader and help the team win games. I don’t want to reduce my game to just statistics. My main goal is to get better every day and develop as much as possible,” he told Sky.

Reflecting on his rapid rise, Albert admitted that the past six months have flown by.

“Training with the professionals every day and improving as a player was fantastic,”
he said.

Following Dortmund’s tour of Japan, Albert will be hoping for more opportunities against top-level opposition in the upcoming friendlies against Arsenal and AS Roma.

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