Nottingham Forest loaned Giovanni Reyna from Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window, however he has only appeared four times in all competitions.
USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter has defended Giovanni Reyna, saying the midfielder has ‘unquestionable’ and ‘great’ quality. Reyna joined Nottingham Forest on loan from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window, although he has played just 38 Premier League minutes in three games since then.
Reyna, the son of former Sunderland and Manchester City midfielder Claudio, was called up to the USMNT by Berhalter during this international break despite his lack of domestic minutes, and he made a significant impact from the bench on Thursday, teeing up Coventry City forward Haji Wright twice in extra time as they defeated Jamaica 3-1 in a CONCACAF Nations League semi-final.
Despite his young age, Reyna has an amazing national record. To far, he has seven goals and five assists in 25 caps, and he is expected to play more minutes in Monday’s Nations League final against Mexico. The US then prepares for the Copa America this summer, in which Reyna hopes to compete.
Despite his lack of game time for Forest, who are currently in the relegation zone after losing points earlier this month, Reyna’s ability has been emphatically supported by his national manager, Berhalter, who also dismissed the notion that Reyna was fortunate to be selected given his current situation at Forest, which he hopes to address directly under Nuno Espirito Santo upon his return.
Berhalter did, however, acknowledge that Reyna had required time to adjust to his new surroundings in England, having been allowed to leave Dortmund midway through the season, and encouraged him to get through this ‘tough’ moment at the City Ground.
“I think I heard somewhere or read somewhere, ‘Why did Gio get called in the camp?'” , Berhalter told reporters. “Well, I believe he demonstrated why he was called in again. Amazing quality, amazing talent, and for us, it’s about helping him through the difficult transition to the Premier League. His quality is unquestionable. When you look at the passes he made on the second goal and, more significantly, the ball he won and then passed, he has a quality that few players have, and it’s evident that he deserves to play for this squad.”
