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Schalke: Every great team needs a player like Weston McKennie

By Kevin Parvizi

Schalke's US midfielder Weston McKennie and Cologne's Dutch defender Kingsley Ehizibue (R) vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Schalke 04 vs FC Cologne in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, on October 5, 2019. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Schalke's US midfielder Weston McKennie and Cologne's Dutch defender Kingsley Ehizibue (R) vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Schalke 04 vs FC Cologne in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, on October 5, 2019. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /
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FC Schalke 04 have one of Europe’s most talented midfielders, so while Weston McKennie isn’t a regular starter due to the emergences of Omar Mascarell and Suat Serdar as top Bundesliga players, his importance to the team is still of inestimable value.

Weston McKennie may not have any goals or assists this season, but FC Schalke 04’s versatile midfielder brings so much more to the table than what’s seen in the basic statistics.

The United States international is one of the Bundesliga’s most industrious and intelligent players, capable of starting at just about any position. Need him at fullback? He’s there in a pinch. Want a No. 6 or No. 8 who can put in the dirty work defensively and move the ball forward to the attackers? McKennie is perfect for that role. Want him to boost the attack with his smart passing and nose for the ball? He can be a No. 10, too.

Heck, due to injuries to Benjamin Stambouli, Salif Sane, and Matija Nastasic, McKennie started alongside 19-year-old Ozan Kabak at center back. And he was solid there, picking off passes left and right and bombing forward into the attack like Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos!

Every team dreams of having a player like McKennie. He’s unselfish, he’s good at everything, and he has limitless potential as a 21-year-old who already has 57 appearances with the senior team.

Beyond that, every great team needs a player like McKennie in the lineup. Whether it’s Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, the best teams in Europe have guys like James Milner and Julian Weigl who are versatile enough to play at multiple positions.

Schalke aren’t quite ready to compete for titles on a yearly basis like those aforementioned teams, but they are fifth in the Bundesliga and only three points behind the league leaders. Since they finished in second place two seasons ago and are threatening for the crown in 2019-2020 with a new manager and a true superstar in Amine Harit, the Royal Blues aren’t that far off from being considered a great team in their own right.

dark. Next. Can Amine Harit be the Player of the Year?

Having a versatile jack-of-all-trades midfielder like McKennie is huge in this push towards greatness. Injuries are always bound to happen. Serdar, Sane, and Stambouli’s recent injuries are a reminder of this. So having someone like McKennie who can legitimately play well in defense or midfield is massive; he can single-handedly erase weaknesses in squad depth that would have been caused by mounting injuries.

Because it’s not enough to be versatile. You also have to be good in those unfamiliar positions, which is critical. McKennie has the anticipation on defense to make interceptions, the stamina to cover ground, the man-marking skills to lock down the opposition, and the passing to make it all tick. It’s a blessing to have McKennie on the squad, as he is a 21-year-old who plays like a 31-year-old veteran.

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