Bundesliga
"Reyna has no difficulty with Dortmund's style" - Lucien Favre
He may only be 16, but USA youth international Gio Reyna made quite the impression on Borussia Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre during the club's summer tour of his homeland this month.
Reyna only joined BVB's U19 side at the start of July but was included in the senior squad's Stateside visit, which included pre-season victories over the Seattle Sounders and reigning European champions Liverpool in Indiana.
He quickly showed he had not made the trip simply to make up the numbers. The attacking midfielder came off the bench in the 3-1 win in Seattle – almost scoring with a header just before half-time – and was in the starting line-up against Liverpool, providing an assist for Paco Alcacer in a 3-2 triumph.
Watch: Highlights of Dortmund's win over Liverpool
As such, Favre understandably had nothing but praise for the teenager: "Gio is already very good and he made a big impression. He doesn't have any difficulties with the kind of football we want to play."
Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki was equally impressed: "In terms of his physique, he's already very well developed. You can't tell that he's only 16. He's a very robust player and he knows what's what."
Nevertheless, former Dortmund captain and current head of the licensed player division Sebastian Kehl insists the club will stick to their plan for the youngster's development. "As was the case with Christian Pulisic, we want to build Gio up slowly and carefully," he said.