Manager ‘blown away’ by Arsenal loanee as he praises youngster’s ‘talent’
Mika Biereth is making a big impact at Motherwell with the club’s manager ‘blown away’ by a forward signed on loan from Premier League giants Arsenal.
After two months on the sidelines with a knee injury, the anticipation is palpable, Max Biereth potentially set to make his long-awaited return to Scottish Premiership action against St Johnstone this weekend.
And, as Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell tells the Glasgow Times, the excitement greeting Biereth’s impeding comeback is ‘testament to the impact’ the striker has had since joining on a season-long deal from Arsenal back in August.
Biereth certainly made one hell of a first impression. He scored one and set up the other on his league debut in the 2-1 victory over Hibernian. And, following four successive domestic defeats, the Denmark U21 international’s return could hardly have been better timed, even if Kettlewell is keen to ease him back into the fold.
Arsenal loanee Mika Biereth shining in Scotland
“We do have to temper the expectations,” says the former Ross County boss. “He is still a young lad. He has come from a big club and is undoubtedly a talent, but it’s really important that I put the right pieces in place to get him back playing.
“I’ve been in touch with him, and he has been terrific over the last eight or nine weeks. We’ve also been in contact with Arsenal, so we think we are now in a good place. And we’ll get to measure (his readiness) over the next couple of days.”
London-born Biereth joined Arsenal from Fulham back in 2021. Still only 20 years of age, this is his second loan spell away from the Emirates, joining Motherwell after a spell in the Netherlands with RKC Waalwijk.
And Kettlewell insists that Biereth’s mentality – as much as his ability – marks the forward out as a potentially special talent.
‘Blown away’
“I know the talent he is. But it’s about finding the right stages of games to integrate him and to see if we can get the level of performance we saw in that short snippet,” Kettlewell adds.
“You can see how laid back he is and how relaxed he is, but when you see him on the pitch and on the training pitch, he’s a completely different character, which is great.
“I have been blown away by his mentality coming into this club, because it can be a dangerous thing sometimes that you see yourself as an Arsenal player and not a Motherwell player.”
Related Topics
MORE ARSENAL STORIES
