Taylan Bulut seems to be in good hands with Schalke coach Karel Geraerts. After the opening game, there was high praise for the 18-year-old

It is rare for S04 coach Karel Geraerts to get carried away with such personal assessments of one of his players. But after the first test match against SSVg Velbert (7:0), he had some extra praise for one of his youngest players

Taylan Bulut is one of them. The 18-year-old is about to start his first season with the pros. After a serious injury that kept him out of action from the start of the season until mid-October, he has already trained with the professionals at times in the past series and was able to celebrate his second league debut in the last home game of the season against Greuther Fürth, but this year the right-back could perhaps become a real alternative for Schalke coach Karel Geraerts.

In Ratingen against Velbert, Bulut played the first 45 minutes in the back three in his usual position on the right. “Taylan Bulut put in a good performance,” Geraerts praised him. And he wasn’t just referring to the game, but also to his impressions in training over the past week. “Even in the last few days on the training pitch,” he added. “I like him. “

Bulut is still eligible to play for the U19s

It could therefore be that the almost 1.90-meter-long Bulut could already become an alternative in Geraerts’ team this season. He could also gain match practice in senior soccer with the club’s U23s in the regional league, where he also made his debut last May. In any case, he is still eligible to play for Norbert Elgert’s U19s for another year.

Bulut won the U17 European Championship with Germany in 2023 together with Assan Ouedraogo, who has since moved to RB Leipzig. Both are regarded as great talents in their respective positions. Schalke said that the development of the U18 international, who transferred to the Knappenschmiede from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, has always been somewhat delayed. Ouedraogo made his breakthrough last season. And now Bulut?