Twenty3’s Under 23s to watch: Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
After Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid, it could be time for another young Englishman to shine at Borussia Dortmund — Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.
The Englishman, who only turned 19 earlier this month, made his breakthrough last season, scoring three goals in 15 Bundesliga appearances.
The winger was used mostly as a substitute but impressed in several eye-catching cameos.
Ahead of the start of a new Bundesliga season, we take a look at what Bynoe-Gittens offers for a Dortmund side looking to challenge Bayern Munich for the title again.
Tricky customer
Capable of playing on both the left and the right flanks, Bynoe-Gittens is skilful, quick and direct.
There are shades of Kylian Mbappé to the youngster’s game — he regularly cuts inside from the left and looks to curl a shot towards the far corner.
The former Manchester City youth product ranked second in the Bundesliga last season for attempted shots per 90 (3.34) and first for completed dribbles per 90 (5.62).
He also won a division-high 8.35 attacking duels per 90, proving extremely difficult to dispossess.
Game-changer
Bynoe-Gittens earned plenty of plaudits for his promising displays last season.
“It’s basically very simple for him: he has the skills to decide games,” said Dortmund manager Edin Terzić after the teenager scored in a 3-1 win against Freiburg last year.
“He’s a game-changer — and I wanted to see that from him. And not that he just plays the game, but that he makes the difference.
“Jamie is someone who can step in and turn up the heat with his first contact — and above all, he can speed up the game again.”
No fear
The England Under-19 international has also impressed his team-mates.
“Jamie is a really quiet guy but on the pitch he shows himself,” Dortmund striker Karim Adeyemi told Sky Sports.
“He has no fear. For me, he is one of the best players one-against-one I have ever seen, to be honest.
“But he’s still young, he can still learn a lot of things. I think when he develops — and he is in a good place in Dortmund — he will be a really good player.”
Education
Dortmund is certainly a good place for young players to develop.
The Bundesliga side have established a reputation as a club where nascent talents fulfil their potential before earning a big-money move to one of Europe’s top teams: Erling Haaland and Bellingham are, of course, the most recent examples of this.
Bynoe-Gittens is a long way off that at this point in his career, but he should not be short of opportunities at Dortmund this season.
BVB will need to replace Bellingham’s output — 14 goals and four assists in all competitions — and Bynoe-Gittens, over a full season, could be the man to do that.
Calculated risk
However the coming season pans out for Bynoe-Gittens, he will have continued to progress and improve while playing at the top end of the Bundesliga and in the Champions League.
Like several young Englishmen before him, he is unlikely to regret the move to Germany.
“To be playing in this team is so good for me because I learn from all these top players every day such as Marco Reus, Jude and everyone,” he said before Dortmund played Chelsea earlier this year.
“It’s great to be trusted at such a young age. It really benefits my development.
“It was risky [to leave England] but I’ve learned many things by coming to Germany. If I stayed, I wouldn’t have learned as much.
“To be playing these top teams on the biggest stage is really big for me, and it vindicates my decision to move to Germany. I just want to be out there playing.”
Bynoe-Gittens is still a budding star — but he could be a household name by the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
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