Bundesliga
"Scally closest to Gladbach first team" - Hütter
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s young American full-back Joe Scally is making rapid progress ahead of the new campaign, with head coach Adi Hütter explaining that the 18-year-old is already in line for first team football.
Scally joined Gladbach from Major League Soccer outfit New York City FC in January and having spent the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign with the Bundesliga side’s second string, he has been impressing with the first team during pre-season.
"Every young player has a chance to make it into the team here," said Hütter.
"Joe Scally is the closest as he already has so much of what you need in modern football. Conor Noß and Rocco Reitz, who’s gone out on loan, also have a lot of potential though."
Scally has operated on both the right and left side of defence in Gladbach’s friendlies ahead of the new campaign, starting all five of their 2021/22 warm-ups.
The last of which - a 2-1 victory over Dutch side Groningen - saw Scally take up position on the left and he looks set to start there when Gladbach get their season officially up and running at Kaiserslauten in the DFB Cup on Monday.
With Ramy Bensebaini still recovering from injury and new signing Luca Netz only arriving this week, Scally has the first chance to make a compelling case for a regular starting berth in the BMG defence.
"Luca Netz isn’t an option to start on Monday - he’s too new to everything," Hütter added. "Plus, Joe Scally has done a fine job in pre-season so far."
If, as expected, Scally starts against Kaiserslauten it will mark his senior bow for Gladbach.
The teenager will then get the chance to make his Bundesliga debut when his team welcome reigning champions Bayern Munich to Borussia Park in the season’s Matchday 1 curtain-raiser on Friday 13 August.