Bundesliga News

Lennart Grill impresses on his return to Leverkusen

By Siddhant Garg

Lennart Grill.
Lennart Grill.Photo: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen fans had cause for concern today as before the game it was revealed that goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky had tested positive for COVID-19 and would not be available for the Topspiel versus Borussia Dortmund. The Finn is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle at Bayer and last time he caught an injury things went pretty haywire for the team. This time last year, Hradecky was out injured and Niklas Lomb failed to impress as a deputy. Whilst Lennart Grill was more secure, he lacked the practice and confidence for the big stage.

The Leverkusen bosses recognized the gap in the squad and signed Russian Andrey Lunev on a free as a recognized deputy for Hradecky. Grill was subsequently sent on a short term loan to SK Brann in the Norwegian first division to collect some valuable game time. However, with Lunev out injured and Hradecky catching the virus, Grill was called upon once again. It became clear early on that the loan period had helped him develop a lot, as he seemed more mature on the ball, and confident whenever called upon to protect his goal.

It was clear since his days at Kaiserslautern and with the Germany under-21s that Grill had a lot of potential, and at the age of 23 needs game time to develop. While another loan is ruled out due to Lunev's injury, Grill impressed against Dortmund, and could certainly become a candidate for the number 1 spot at Leverkusen if he gets a chance to develop on that potential.

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