The season is already about a third over. But where is Dylan Leonard, anyway? Schalke’s new Australian center back will have to be patient for now.

Dylan Leonard must have been very frustrated over the past few days. On September 15, the 18-year-old center back from Australia joined FC Schalke 04 and was supposed to take his time settling in. Due to the team’s personnel shortage, he would have been guaranteed a spot on the roster in recent days.

However, according to information from this editorial team, Leonard won’t be eligible to play in competitive matches until January 1, 2026—though he’ll then be eligible for all Schalke teams. So far, he’s only played in preseason matches. And that will also be the case on Thursday in the friendly against FC Twente (7:30 p.m.), where he’s expected to be in the starting lineup.

Schalke signed Leonard from the Australian first-division club Western United after the summer transfer window closed. Since Western United’s license had been revoked, Leonard joined on a free transfer, and Schalke had hoped he would be immediately eligible to play. However, this request was denied, much to Schalke’s frustration.

Expectations aren’t high in the short term, but they are in the long term. This also has to do with Alexander Baumjohann. The longtime Schalke pro is now the sporting director at Sydney FC in Australia; he brought Leonard to S04’s attention, though the player was already on sporting director Frank Baumann’s radar. “He’s still very young,” Baumjohann told this editorial team.

“Nevertheless, he’s played in almost every game for Western United in the First Division. We’ve also played against him twice, and I was impressed by his maturity, his soccer skills, his ability to use both feet, and his communication. He’s taken charge of the entire build-up play at Western United. He’s a huge talent, and I’m certain he’ll be called up to the national team in the near future.” His ability to use both feet has also impressed the Schalke brass. Rumor has it that it’s impossible to tell whether he prefers to shoot with his left or his right foot.

Leonard is also expected to remain a permanent fixture on the professional training squad starting January 1, 2026. However, if the roster situation has eased by then, it’s also possible that Leonard could gain playing experience with the U23 team under coach Jakob Fimpel.