Clemens Fritz, head of professional football and scouting at Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, has called for patience with Manchester United loanee Tahith Chong.
Speaking to German outlet Weser Kurier, Fritz spoke about the United midfielder’s development since making the move.
Clemens Fritz Discusses Tahith Chong’s Development at Werder Bremen
Improvement Made
The Dutch winger hasn’t endured the most fruitful of loan spells to-date. However, Fritz claims he is improving and should be afforded time to develop further.
Fritz told Weser Kurier: “On the defensive, Chong has already improved a lot. We see a development there. It’s going in the right direction.”
Chong is yet to establish himself in the Werder Bremen starting 11, though has made nine league appearances, six of those from the bench. He has struggled to make much of an impact so far and conceded a penalty against Stuttgart on December 6, 2020, in what was his first start for over a month.
Fritz has lept to Chong’s defence for that error: “Nobody blames Chong for the penalty kick. This scene annoys him the most.”
Promise Remains Despite Lack of Impact
Chong scored on his competitive debut for the club back in September, though the goal came in a 2-0 win over Carl Zeiss Jena in DFB-Pokal on September 12, 2020.
Since then he has struggled to get involved in any goal for the club – who find themselves 13th in the Bundesliga standings so far, with just two wins from 10 league games.
Fritz added: “Don’t forget that he’s a young player. We should give him a little time.
“He is dangerous because of his speed and his one-on-one behaviour, which is incredibly valuable to us.”
Despite his inability to replicate the impact of the Bundesliga’s finest young imports from the Premier League just yet, Chong’s parent-club will no doubt be happy to see the German side haven’t given up on their talent and are adopting a patient approach.
With Milot Rashica absent through injury, that could provide the platform for Chong to play his way into more productive form. Werder Bremen face a trip to RB Leipzig on Saturday, December 12. It would be a great time for Tahith Chong to step up and have an impact against the club responsible for Manchester United’s Champions League elimination in midweek (Tuesday, December 8).
Fritz was asked if there had been discussions to extend Chong’s stay in Germany, though he said: “It’s too early for that.”
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
