Yedlin: Klinsmann instrumental in my development

Much has been made about the pros and cons of Jurgen Klinsmann as manager of the United States men’s national team. Whether it’s his tactics, lineups, call-ups, and so on, there are many opinions, often differing.

However, there’s one aspect that it hard to argue his effectiveness: Player development. USMNT defender DeAndre Yedlin is here to attest to that fact.

He told the Chronicle Live:

“Jurgen has been huge in the whole movement of my career.

“Obviously, going into his squad has been big. The first camp he called me into was in January 2014 just before the World Cup.

“That is known as the January camp and that includes MLS players because the season in the US runs from February to December meaning the MLS players are free to join up with the national team.

“January is for players on the bubble, and it was my first camp. But from then on Jurgen has shown trust in me.

“I didn’t think I’d be going to the World Cup but I played well against Mexico and then when the pre-World Cup games arrived he called me in again along with a few younger players.

“We all just thought he was calling us in to get experience and get ready for maybe the next tournament.

“But he ended up taking us to Brazil and from there I showed well at the World Cup and that ultimately got me to Europe.”

Yedlin even revealed that it was Klinsmann who helped him make the decision this summer to move to Newcastle United.

It’s clear that the once great German striker has had a huge hand in the career development of Yedlin. Sticking with him through the good times and the bad times of his club career was one of the big things that the young defender states as the reason for his improvement.

“Even when I was at Tottenham and I wasn’t playing or in the squad, he was calling me up to camps so I could get game time. He has been instrumental in my development as a player.”