Carney Chukwuemeka continues to fight for playing time at Borussia Dortmund. An incredible streak has continued this season for the soon-to-be Austria international.
It was a familiar sight for spectators at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening: Carney Chukwuemeka was substituted by Dortmund coach Niko Kovac after around an hour in the home match against HSV and helped turn the game into a 3-2 victory after trailing 2-0. However, Chukwuemeka, who came on for ÖFB team-mate Marcel Sabitzer of all people, did not leave a lasting impression.
However, Chukwuemeka is set to become a difference-maker for the Austrian national team, for whom he and Paul Wanner have recently become eligible to play thanks to a change of association, possibly even at the World Cup. “Of course I make the decisions subjectively, but in the end the players nominate themselves through their performances,” said team boss Ralf Rangnick recently when announcing the squad for the March internationals. Against Ghana (Friday, 6pm) and South Korea, Chukwuemeka can recommend himself for the first time in the red-white-red jersey for the finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Chukwuemeka has never played through in his career
From Rangnick’s point of view, of course, it would be ideal if Chukwuemeka could do the same after the international break at BVB. The injury to Felix Nmecha may open up new opportunities for the attacking midfielder. So far, the 22-year-old has been anything but a regular at Dortmund. In the 32 competitive matches he has played in the current season, Chukwuemeka has only been part of the starting eleven eight times. He was never on the pitch for the full distance.
This continued an incredible run for Chukwuemeka: In his entire professional career, the son of Nigerian parents has yet to play a single competitive game over the full distance – neither at Dortmund nor previously at Chelsea or Aston Villa, where he had once made his debut in the Premiere League at the age of 17.
“Who plays for Dortmund at that age?”
Including this appearance, Chukwuemeka has already played 97 professional games for Aston Villa (16), Chelsea (32) and Dortmund (49), but the youngster is still waiting for his first appearance at national team level before his possible debut for Austria. Chukwuemeka’s streak can be explained – albeit only partially – by his long injury history for his young age. Most recently, he was temporarily unavailable to BVB at the beginning of March due to muscular problems.
However, there is no need to worry about Chukwuemeka’s abilities in Austria, as team goalkeeper Alexander Schlager also knows: “Who plays for Dortmund at that age? You have to earn that first.” If Rangnick has his way, Chukwuemeka and Wanner, who could also make his debut for the ÖFB against Ghana and South Korea, will shape the future of red-white-red soccer: “Over the next ten or twelve years, I’m convinced that both of them will be extremely helpful to Austria.” And ideally not as supplementary players.