PHILADELPHIA — Where in the world is DeAndre Yedlin? That is a question more and more American soccer fans find themselves asking as we enter the third month of Yedlin’s time at English Premier League side Tottenham.
The U.S. national team speedster has yet to play for Tottenham since the January transfer and hasn’t even been a regular for the club’s Under-21 team, which is regularly used to find playing time for those who can’t break into the first team.
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The initial reaction to this seeming disappearance is concern and angst among U.S. fans who have seen far too many young Americans make the jump to Europe only to see their careers stagnate.
Yedlin’s status isn’t nearly that foregone yet. He reached Tottenham in January but promptly joined the U.S. national team for friendlies against Chile and Panama, which offered him the opportunity for competitive matches but slowed down his transition to England considerably.
Sources have confirmed to Goal USA that Yedlin suffered a severely sprained MCL during the Panama friendly on Feb. 8. The injury kept him from being able to train or play with Tottenham until recently, when he resumed training with the club’s first team.
U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann isn’t worried about Yedlin’s lack of playing time. He acknowledges that Yedlin does need games, but believes being in Tottenham’s environment and being brought along slowly can only serve to benefit the 21-year-old.
“Now DeAndre gets an introduction into a (Tottenham) roster of maybe 28-30 players, and only 18 can be considered for the weekend game. So he goes though that learning curve now,” Klinsmann said. “But his talent, his potential and his capabilities, he’s very important for the senior team already.
“He’s in the right spot because he needs to grow. He will grow eventually. Even if he’s not playing right now, he will grow. It's absolutely the right thing for him to do. It will take time.”
Expectations for Yedlin grew after he impressed at last summer’s World Cup, which helped precipitate his transfer to Tottenham, but it is easy to forget that Yedlin was just two years removed from college and four years removed from high school when he made the move. His lightning-fast progression from marginal college prospect to World Cup player and European transfer target happened at a faster rate than any American in recent memory.
Sources tell Goal USA that Tottenham is working closely with Yedlin to not only get him acclimated to his new environment but to also strengthen his tactical awareness, which remains a very clear weakness for a player who relied heavily on his speed and athleticism. Yedlin needs to learn the finer points of things like positioning and reading the game.
Those weaknesses were clear to see as recently as January, when Yedlin struggled with defensive responsibilities in the U.S. team’s 3-2 loss against Chile. Those same weaknesses are why Klinsmann has taken to playing Yedlin as a winger as often as he has at right back, where Tottenham eventually sees Yedlin.
With current starting right back and England international Kyle Walker drawing attention from clubs like Barcelona, Tottenham sees Yedlin as a prospect who could be in line for minutes next season if he strengthens his current weaknesses.
For now, Yedlin appears to be in the beginning stages of a project that could take some time, but while American fans grow worried about whether the former Seattle Sounder made a mistake joining a team as big as Tottenham, Klinsmann isn’t so quick to press the panic button.
“These years are learning years. There are up and downs. There are difficulties,” Klinsmann said. “It will take time.”