Thioune hails rising star Mio Backhaus, says there’s a lot to come for him | OneFootball

The 21-year-old goalkeeper has been pivotal for Werder Bremen this season, his recent form helping them climb out of the relegation zone.

He stepped up after Michael Zetterer was sold to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer and Karl Jakob Hein arrived on loan from Arsenal, with Werder handing him the starting job despite no prior Bundesliga minutes.

Backhaus underlined his progress in the 1-0 win over Wolfsburg, making four saves and keeping a clean sheet, the club’s third victory under coach Daniel Thioune. “When you’re a small team, you need someone who surpasses himself,” said Thioune to the DFL. “And Mio Backhaus, he dealt with the first corner, second corner, third corner; caught freekicks; turned shots onto the bar.”

It has not all been smooth. His slip for the opener in a crucial six-pointer at St. Pauli preceded a 2-1 defeat and stretched Werder’s winless run to 13.

Since that match, Backhaus has conceded only three goals in four games. Werder have won three of those to sit 14th in the Bundesliga, four points clear of St. Pauli and the relegation zone with seven games left.

He also started two games for Germany’s U21s in late March and kept clean sheets in both.

“It’s special as a Bremen youth product for him to be playing in Bremen’s goal,” said Thioune. “Given his current state, there’s a lot to come for him. And he’ll no doubt have another game of his life somewhere else.”

Source: BuLi News