Academy quintet make the trip to Burton

Old heads like Peter Pekarík and Vladimír Darida have given up counting. How many training camps have they been through over the course of their careers? Neither knows the answer, but they both reckon it to be more than 50. But for five of our Bubis, the visit to St. George’s Park is a first. For Julian Eitschberger, Luca Wollschläger, Lukas Ullrich, Derry Scherhant and goalkeeper Robert Kwasigroch, this time is extremely valuable. “Every session, in the weights room and on the pitch, as well as everything else that’s going on – it’s all exciting and educational,” says Julian Eitschberger. His teammate Wollschläger adds on: “We’re training alongside so many established pros here. We’re taking note of a lot of things but at the same time we want to offer more.”

The two youngsters, who have been at the club since 2017 and 2019 respectively, got at least a taste of senior action last season. The pair played a combined 104 minutes in the Bundesliga during 2021/22. An appetiser and a little motivation, perhaps, to keep giving it everything in pursuit of their dreams. “Obviously that made us hungry, we want to experience that feeling more often. But we know that we are right at the start of it all. We have to work hard, improve in all areas and then prove ourselves,” say the teenagers in unison. A role model for the pair in that regard is Linus Gechter, who found himself in a similar position one year ago.

The remaining trio are yet to feature for Hertha in the Bundesliga. But after performing well in the Regionalliga, Derry Scherhant has earned a professional contract and the chance to play himself into some minutes with the first team. “The speed and the bite of the tackles is higher than in the under 23s but that hasn’t come as a surprise. I want to use every single session to improve myself. And I want to learn as much as possible from the established players every day – not just on the pitch but also in terms of preparation and recovery,” says the 19-year-old attacker. Scherhant joined the club in 2020 and contributed 16 goals and eight assists for Ante Čović’s young side last season.

It’s Robert Kwasigroch’s job to prevent goals, not score them. The shot-stopper, who made his debut in the German fourth division last season and went on to be a crucial part of our successful under 19 side, will likely be a part of the senior training squad alongside Tjark Ernst this season. “Training with Andreas Menger every day in the first-team is really demanding. I can soak up a lot from the experienced ‘keepers in terms of their presence and how they dish out commands. I want to make the most out of every session,” says the 18-year-old who arrived at Hertha five years ago.

Lukas Ullrich, meanwhile, has been here for seven years now. The left-back was part of the under-19 side that won the North-East section of the Bundesliga before finishing as runners-up in the national grand final. With five goals and two assists, Ullrich was one of the team’s most important players. “I’ve learned a lot through the academy and last season was definitely a highlight. Even though we fell at the final hurdle it was still a successful year,” he says. For the 18-year-old, the focus is now on taking the next step in his development. “I want to settle in at the higher level as quickly as I can. I want to get plenty of playing time and perform my best.” As with any young lads making their way in the senior side, the quintet are also responsible for carting around balls and equipment as a part of everyday life in camp.

Sandro Schwarz is definitely pleased with their efforts so far. “The lads are eager and motivated. That’s the absolute bare minimum. But it’s also obvious that they need to get used to the pace and the intensity,” says our head coach. “We want to guide them on their path as best we can, giving them feedback and highlighting things that they still need to learn.” If all goes according to plan, there will be plenty more training camps to come for our quintet of academy youngsters.