Schalke: Weston McKennie more of a Mascarell or a Serdar?

Weston McKennie is definitely his own brand at Schalke, but thinking longterm, is he more likely to inherit the role of Omar Mascarell or Suat Serdar?

Schalke‘s midfield stands next to their defense in the sturdiness category, with so many options, both short- and long-term proving to be reliable and exciting. Weston McKennie, Suat Serdar, and Omar Mascarell are the big three, but even in that trio, there are questions about what happens as we move forward.

Mascarell is the senior statesman, with a clearly defined role as the midfield sweeper, sitting behind whoever he shares the midfield with and often times dropping back into the backline to help with defense.

Serdar is McKennie’s age, gets forward, and primarily attacks while still maintaining a grasp on his defensive duties.

Which Schalke 04 midfielder could McKennie more likely replace?

For Mascarell, the question is age. For Serdar, the question is longevity. Mascarell has two years left on his deal and the future is still uncertain beyond that. Serdar is blossoming and catching the eye of top clubs all over Europe.

Weston McKennie is the one guy that we know is here for the long haul, and since there isn’t much else to talk about these days, it’s a question of who he is more equipped to fill in for, in the event that, say, two years down the road, he’s the only one that remains.

It’s hard to call right off the bat. He’s been used more in a Mascarell role, sometimes even deputizing as a centerback or rightback, but the way that he plays more resembles Serdar. McKennie has no chill. He has no ‘sit back and wait’ button. Mascarell has that role mastered. But at the same time, McKennie’s attacking capabilities have not blossomed as Serdar’s have.

He continues to get forward, his creativity is starting to show, and he’s definitely got an eye for goal, but the finishing touches still elude him. Serdar is our top scorer, all of a sudden.

Still, if you get forward enough, combine with the attack enough, you’re going to start poking around at goal, and McKennie is definitely going to start seeing that happen, which is why I have to say that he is more likely a replacement for Serdar and for Mascarell, in a world where he actually has to be.

Thankfully, as of right now we have all three, and for the foreseeable future, that doesn’t look likely to change.