Manchester City youngster Jayden Braaf completed a free transfer to Borussia Dortmund over concerns about the player’s attitude and behaviour.
The 19-year-old was brought from PSV Eindhoven by the Sky Blues in the summer of 2018 and since then, the winger has had a troubled spell at Manchester. Unable to get his place in the first-team setup, the player grew frustrated after the coaching staff decided that his attitude in senior sessions did not meet the required standard.
In January 2021, it was decided by the club’s management for the player to be loaned out to Udinese and made his senior team debut against Fiorentina. His spell with the Italian club did not last too long till he sustained a serious knee injury which made him return to Manchester for recovery.
The Dutch winger’s season with the academy raised the eyebrows of several members of the management as the player swiftly wanted to cement his place in the senior team. Unable to climb up the ranks due to his lack of professionalism coupled with the demands of a new contract by his camp, the club wasn’t too pleased with the player’s behaviour.
His work ethic too was questioned for quite some time and his performances on the pitch did not resonate well with the Blues. Eventually, the club decided to part ways with the winger and let him leave for Dortmund this summer on a free transfer.
The possibility of Braaf breaking into the senior team would have been quite difficult considering the likes of Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, and Phil Foden adapting to the similar role and performing fairly well.
Another young sensation in the City camp, Foden, has shown how lethal he can be with the ball. With the right attitude the player maintains along with his excellent performances on the pitch, the club admires his passion for the club and professional work ethic.
Given a season or two, Braaf too could have made it into the senior team assuming he delivered excellent performances on the pitch rather than off the pitch. But the latter seems to be the scenario that has not gone down too well with the club and a move to the Bundesliga side is now his future to embrace.
The winger’s impact on the club due to his performances has been very minimal making it difficult for the fans to miss him considering the fact that other youngsters in the side have been performing exceedingly well with the right mindset. Also, with the inclusion of two youngsters focused completely on their game, Erling Haaland and Julián Álvarez, the fans will be rooting for the club to win another PL title next season making it three in a row.
