When Ansgar Knauff joined Borussia Dortmund's U15s, the 20-year-old Eintracht player was "by far the smallest player".

Knauff reminded the Dortmund youth director, Lars Ricken, of another great talent who was similarly small and frail before later starting a great career.

His name: Marco Reus.

George Daniels

Editor in the sports department

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The player who once gave Knauff a pair of football boots as a reward and encouragement.

In 2014, little Knauff took part in a tournament in Kamen in the jersey of Spielvereinigung Göttingen 07 – and was honored as the best player.

Jürgen Klopp, the patron of the event, personally presented Knauff with the valuable souvenir from Reus.

Knauff was also happy about an invitation to try out Borussia's U13s. But it was only at the age of 15 that the native of Göttingen moved to the Dortmund football boarding school.

His rise began.

While Knauff used to struggle with growth problems, he is now 1.80 meters tall.

He is exactly the same size as Reus.

In terms of sport, however, Knauff, who moved to Frankfurt on loan from Dortmund in January, continues to look up to the 32-year-old international.

The fast winger Knauff, whose top speed is 34.4 kilometers per hour, is just at the beginning of his career, which has picked up speed in the meantime.

Participation in the entry into the premier class

In November 2020 he made the leap to the licensed players of BVB - before his nominally second A youth year.

A month later, then-coach Lucien Favre helped him make his professional debut in the Champions League game against Zenit St Petersburg.

His first appearance in the Bundesliga followed in March 2021 against Cologne.

Interim coach Edin Terzic, who replaced Favre in December 2020, also believed in Knauff.

In April 2021 he scored his first Bundesliga goal to make it 3-2 in Stuttgart.

Knauff came on for: Marco Reus.

Knauff played his part in BVB making it into the premier class at the end of the season.

Again to the detriment of the Hessians, who still missed the Champions League.

Under the new head coach Marco Rose, the development of Knauff, who is challenged with Eintracht in the round of 16 of the Europa League in March, stalled.

In this round, five appearances in the Bundesliga faced eight in the second club team, which plays in the third professional division.

Knauff doesn't want to do without this experience two classes lower either, he said on Tuesday at a press conference in the World Cup arena.

However, his playing time in the Bundesliga was not enough for the high demands of the offensive player.

“I have developed well.

But I would like to get more playing time at the top level.

And I can work that out with Eintracht," says Knauff.

Lower rental fee with more playing time

"Frankfurt can be a very good and important step for me." Sebastian Kehl, head of Dortmund's licensed player department, reported that Knauff "approached us with the desire to be able to gain more match practice as part of a loan".

Rose also encouraged Knauff to take the next step at another location like Frankfurt - although he learned a lot in Dortmund from the "top players, some of whom are world leaders", as Knauff emphasizes.

In order to make the change possible, Knauff initially extended his contract with BVB until July 1, 2024. The two-time U21 youth international is now tied to Eintracht until June 30, 2023 inclusive.

"Obligations or options" had not been agreed, it said on the BVB side.

However, the loan fee for Frankfurt should be lower the more playing time Knauff receives from coach Oliver Glasner.

If Knauff were to play well in Frankfurt and be used regularly, he could become a bargain for Eintracht.

In financially tense times due to the corona pandemic, that would also be a nice business from an economic point of view.

So far there are 23 minutes in Knauff's performance record: 20 in the 0:2 against Wolfsburg and three in the 3:2 in Stuttgart.

In the duel with the wolves, Knauff had a lot of confidence, brought momentum to the previously paralyzed attacking game, true to his direction of finding his place in the team "as quickly as possible".

That would also correspond to Glasner's ideas, who is looking for an offensive regular on the right wing.

Whoever he had previously given the position a chance for probation, nobody could take it - not Danny da Costa, not Timothy Chandler, not Almamy Touré, not Aymen Barkok.

“Ansgar has fitted in very well.

He's an open boy.

We knew that he would fit in well with us," said Glasner.

Knauff firmly believes that Eintracht can qualify for the international starting places again this season.

He speaks Markus Krösche from the heart.

"Our ambitions don't change," said the sporting director of the current table tenth.