Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

News

Jurgen Klinsmann ‘Playing for a tremendous club like Newcastle, it feels like the Premier League”

8 years ago
Share

Asked about the DeAndre Yedlin move this summer and dropping into the Championship, Jurgen Klinsmann says that Yedlin is ‘absolutely’ a Premier League standard player and that ‘…obviously playing for a tremendous club like Newcastle United, it feels like the Premier League’.

DeAndre Yedlin played the full 90 minutes on Friday night against St Vincent & The Grenadines and were convincing 6-0 winners in their latest World Cup qualifier.

However, picking up a yellow card has ruled DeAndre Yedlin out of Tuesday night’s game against Trinidad and Tobago, which will decide the winners of Group C in CONCACAF qualifying.

Jurgen Klinsmann has done Rafa Benitez and his player a big favour, releasing the defender from the USA squad so that he can head back to Newcastle early and get extra preparation in before Saturday’s game at Derby County.

Klinsmaan also revealed that the United player had contacted him before agreeing a move to St James Park, the USA boss saying that he is only a ‘phone call away, 24/7’ for any of his players – but he insists it is important that Yedlin himself had to be sure Newcastle was the right move.

Talking about this season, Jurgen Klinsmann says that Newcastle United have ‘only one goal and that’s going straight back up, so hopefully that’s going to be the case’.

Jurgen Klinsmann talking to ESPN about DeAndre Yedlin:

“I think he is Premier League level, absolutely, and obviously playing for a tremendous club like Newcastle United, it feels like the Premier League.

That club has only one goal and that’s going straight back up, so hopefully that’s going to be the case.

“That league (Championship) itself is a brutal grind because there is no real time for coaches to work in between games, it is going from game to game to game.

“That will be a huge challenge and it is going to be different to the Premier League but he’s grinding it through, he continues to mature and from a club point of view, it’s totally fine.

“However, it will be a different style of play. It will be different what he sees there and how he experiences it – it will be a big growing year for him.

“I talk to them (the USA players) but in a way that if they have a question or if they want to know something, I’m only a phone call away, 24/7.

However, I want them to make their own decisions. I always tell them, ‘Whatever you feel comfortable doing, when you make your decision you have got to be 100% behind it. It’s OK either way.’

“If you stay where you are or go somewhere else, it is important that you make that decision in order to grow – so you have got to follow your feelings.”

 

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks