Jurgen Klinsmann: Hamburg experience is a 'good learning curve' for Julian Green
PHILADELPHIA
United States national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he has spoken to Julian Green about the important of sorting out his situation at Hamburger SV.
Green expected to play frequent first-team minutes after joining Hamburg on loan from Bayern Munich at the start of the campaign, but he has not featured in a league match since December.
The situation prompted Hamburg to include Green in the HSV II match against St. Pauli II on Saturday. Green played the full 90 minutes in that affair in a bid to bolster his claims for a recall.
Klinsmann said he reached out to Green and Hamburg on several occasions to keep the lines of communications open and work through his status within the team. He said he reminded Green about the importance of finding minutes to establish a rhythm and improve his case for first-team time.
"He was surprised that he was asked to play with the second team," Klinsmann told a small group of reporters on Wednesday. "He kind of felt like he wasn't being appreciated or being considered good enough to start with the first team. It was tough for him. He thought about that process. He had talked with the club. Eventually, he now plays for the second team just to stay in a rhythm. They are keen on him that he will break his way through."
The former Germany star called the entire experience a "good learning curve" for the promising 19-year-old winger. He noted the importance of coping with the emotions created by falling out of the side in the wake of a rib injury and underscored the difficulty of the road set forth after the World Cup.
"It's not easy for him because he has set himself the highest expectations: coming off the World Cup, then the injury, then making that loan," Klinsmann said. "Now he should just simply play, but he was physically behind. He needed time to recover. And then you are back in line."
Both Green and Klinsmann will hope to see Green work his way back toward a place in the first-team as the season continues. Green's loan deal with Hamburg runs through the end of season.
