The United States men’s national team (USMNT) has seen a number of talented midfielders play at the highest level of soccer, including Juventus’ Weston McKennie. However, USMNT great Landon Donovan is of the opinion that McKennie is not his nation’s best midfielder ever.
USMNT Legend Landon Donovan Sheds Light on Weston McKennie Snub
During a chat with USMNT icon Tim Howard on the “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast, Donovan was asked if McKennie should be considered the greatest American midfielder of all time.
“I don’t know where to start with this, there are two ends of the spectrum. There’s recency bias where you’re like, ‘I see what I see now, those guys in the past could have never done that’ or you are like, ‘The old guys are the best and the newer guys have no chance’. Very few people have the ability to come to a middle and figure it all out,” the former LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes star initially said.
Donovan stated that three former USMNT midfielders, namely Michael Bradley, Tab Ramos, and Claudio Reyna, were all arguably better than the Juventus star for the national team.
The all-time USMNT top-scorer added, “The things that Michael Bradley, Tab in a different way, and Claudio in his own way did for the national team and at club level was insane. All of them were insane winners and competitors. Weston is probably second or most talented when it comes to attributes but what those guys did in the national team… maybe he’ll be there in five or seven years but not now.”
McKennie, 27, has represented the USMNT 62 times since making his debut in November 2017. He has found the back of the net 11 times and provided nine assists for his national side.
On the other hand, the former Schalke 04 and Leeds United player has registered 21 goals and 22 assists in 201 appearances across competitions for Juventus, according to Transfermarkt. The midfielder has won two Coppa Italia trophies and one Supercoppa Italiana crown so far.
READ MORE: Christian Pulisic’s Salary Demands for AC Milan Extension Revealed
USMNT and Borussia Monchengladbach star Giovanni Reyna has sent a transfer message to Christian Pulisic amid speculations involving the AC Milan star and Manchester United.
“I’m sure he’ll make the best decision for himself. It’s none of my business. I wasn’t aware of this interest, but I’m convinced he’ll do the right thing,” Reyna responded to journalist Alessandro Schiavone when asked to opine on Pulisic’s links with Manchester United.
Owing to his recent fine form and his being in the final 18 months of his AC Milan contract, Pulisic has allegedly emerged as a topic of transfer discussion. He has contributed 10 goals and two assists in 16 total games for the Rossoneri this season, as per Transfermarkt.
