The season is already about a third over. But where is Dylan Leonard? Schalke’s Australian center back signing still has to be patient.

Dylan Leonard must have been very annoyed in recent days. The 18-year-old center back from Australia joined FC Schalke 04 on September 15 and was supposed to take his time settling in. Due to personnel shortages, he would have been guaranteed a place in the squad in recent days.

However, according to information obtained by this editorial team, Leonard will not be eligible to play in competitive matches until January 1, 2026—but then for all Schalke teams. So far, he has only played in test matches. And that will also be the case on Thursday in the friendly match at FC Twente (7:30 p.m.), where he is expected to be in the starting lineup.

Schalke signed Leonard from Australian first division club Western United after the end of the summer transfer window. As Western United had had its license revoked, Leonard came on a free transfer and Schalke hoped he would be eligible to play immediately. However, this request was not granted, much to Schalke’s annoyance.

Expectations are not high in the short term, but they are in the long term. This also has to do with Alexander Baumjohann. The long-time Schalke professional is now sporting director at Sydney FC in Australia and brought Leonard to the attention of S04, but he was already on the radar of sporting director Frank Baumann. “He is still very young,” Baumjohann told this editorial team.

“Nevertheless, he has played in almost all of Western United’s games in the 1st division. We have also played against him twice, and I was impressed by his maturity, his footballing quality, his two-footedness, and his communication. He took over the entire build-up play at Western United. He is a huge talent and I am sure he will be nominated for the national team in the near future.” His two-footedness also impresses the Schalke bosses. According to reports, it is impossible to tell whether he prefers to shoot with his left or right foot. Leonard is also expected to remain an integral part of the professional training squad from January 1, 2026. However, if the personnel situation has eased by then, Leonard could also gain playing experience in the U23s under coach Jakob Fimpel.