Krösche praises Dahoud's learning curve: “An exceptional footballer getting better and better.”

Perhaps the biggest story emerging from Eintracht Frankfurt’s rout of VfL Bochum over the weekend concerned the impressive manner in which young guns Nnamdi Collins and Nathaniel Brown repaid the trust of SGE trainer Dino Toppmöller by combining on the crucial 4-0 that effectively put the match beyond Bochum’s reach. 

Toppmöller opted for plenty of youth in the latest league encounter, handing 19-year-old Jean-Manuel Bahoya a start and turning to 18-year-old Can Uzun in the 65th minute. There was nevertheless more to the story of the match than Toppmöller placing trust in youth, however. Mahmoud Dahoud’s start (and goal) proved of some significance as well. 

After a disappointing half season spent with Brighton & Hove Albion, not to mention an ill-fated loan stint with Stuttgart last spring and a generally disastrous attempt to switch his international allegiance to Syria, the 28-year-old twice-capped German international immediately switched his allegiance back to the Bundesrepublik upon arriving in Frankfurt and has never missed an opportunity to praise his home country.

While talk of a return to the German national team certainly remains premature, the former Gladbach and Dortmund professional has unexpectedly punched his way into Toppmöller’s starting XI plans both in the Bundesliga and the Europa League. Dahoud’s goal and assist in Saturday’s victory left Eintracht sporting CEO Markus Krösche buzzing. 

“Mo is getting better and better,” Krösche – as quoted in an article by German footballing journalists Julian Franzke and Ullrich Schindler – noted after the match, “He hasn’t played that much in the past year-and-a-half, so he’s still establishing his rhythm. In terms of footballing ability, he is beyond reproach. Mo is an exceptional footballer. I’m happy that he scored.”