The English winger, who scored twice on Wednesday against Club Bruges in the Champions League, is starting his season in the best possible way.
He was mentioned a few days ago in our list of “thrill” players to watch this season. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens or simply Gittens, has started his season with a bang. The 20-year-old Englishman has already, after six games (all competitions combined), his best performance in a season with four goals scored in the colors of Borussia Dortmund, including two on Wednesday during his team’s victory on the pitch of Club Bruges (0-3) in the Champions League. A look at this player who is likely to amaze the gallery this season.
A player not spared from injuries
A shoulder injury and another to the ankle ligaments have delayed Jamie Gittens’ meteoric rise. Arriving in 2020 from Manchester City, the London native finished his training in the youth categories of Borussia Dortmund. Aware of his talent, BVB made him turn professional in the summer of 2022 and extended his contract until 2025.
This extension is also due to the fact that the same summer, the English winger became U19 European champion with his selection. A contrasting season therefore for Gittens who started it with a rupture of the ankle ligaments, which made him miss the first three months of the 2021/2022 season. The following season will be just as disruptive, with 22 matches missed due to a shoulder injury that will handicap him for a long time.
Also readChampions League: Gyökeres, Wirtz, Neves… In pictures, these eleven “thrill” players who will put on a show
A much more encouraging 2023/2024 season
After two years of struggle, the England U21 international is finally having a full season, missing just one game due to injury. Dortmund coach Edin Terzić, knowing his fragility, prefers to leave him on the bench on several occasions and makes him an effective “super-sub”. An honourable record of two goals and eight assists in 34 games, not bad for a budding starter.
Promising, Jamie Gittens wants to follow the example of his elder Jadon Sancho who also joined Germany after leaving the Manchester City academy.When Jadon Sancho was at City he excelled in the U18s and scored every game. I want to be like him anyway” he explained in a podcast in 2023. On that occasion, he also assumed that he had to work on his finishing, the last string to add to his bow to obtain an almost complete palette.
Fragile body and steel mind
Plagued by injury concerns, the right-hander could have given up and wallowed in his sadness. But Gittens preferred to stay close to the group, doing all his rehabilitation in the club’s facilities and taking advantage of his periods of injury to learn German.
Jamie Gittens has been patient to get his chance and now he is knocking on the door to be a starter. Faced with the inconsistency of his teammates Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi, the winger has a card to play this season to be among the strong men of Borussia Dortmund. If his future performances are of the same ilk, it will be difficult to deny him a place in the starting eleven.
