German 2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin are mulling over whether to offer Gambia-born winger Kekuta Manneh a contract after a brief trial.
The Bakau-born player spent the last few days on trial at the second-tier club with manager André Hofschneider keen to add a new face to his squad during the winter transfer window.
But the 22-year-old, who joined the club on trial last Monday, has already left the German side to return to the United States as Union Berlin mull about offering him a deal.
“Kekuta Manneh’s trial at Union Berlin has come to an end as scheduled. Both parties will remain in touch over future possibilities,” the club wrote in a tweet at the weekend.
Kekuta became a free agent after he was not listed in Columbus Crew’s press release that revealed players whose options had been picked up or in negotiations with.
He has made it known in the past that he wants to try his luck across the Atlantic in Europe after spending five years in the United States.
Columbus sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter earlier on said that Manneh’s trial doesn’t mean he’s ruling out his return to the club as he helped orchestrate it.
“We were very supportive of that [trial]; we knew about it early,” he said. “I actually called some people about him. We were extremely supportive of that. I’m all for players exploring their options.”
“He is out of contract; we do want to re-sign him. We think he can make a big impact with us here. But at the end of the day, the player wants to see some of his options, and I completely understand that.”
Kekuta, a former Steve Biko player began his professional career with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2013, making 101 appearances for the Canadian club, registering 22 goals and 12 assists over his four-plus seasons with the Whitecaps.
Source..Gambia sports.com
