The season is already about a third of the way through. But where is Dylan Leonard, exactly? 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. 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 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 is not eligible to play in competitive matches until January 1, 2026—but he will then be eligible for all Schalke teams. So far, he has only played in friendly matches. And that will also be the case on Thursday in the friendly against FC Twente (7:30 p.m.), where he is expected to start.

Schalke signed Leonard from the Australian first-division club Western United after the summer transfer window closed. Since Western United had had its license revoked, Leonard joined on a free transfer, and Schalke had hoped he would be eligible to play immediately. 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 he was already on sporting director Frank Baumann’s radar. “He’s still very young,” Baumjohann told this editorial team.

“Nevertheless, he has 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 has taken over the entire build-up play at Western United. He is a huge talent, and I’m sure he’ll be called up to the national team in the near future.” His ability to use both feet also impresses the Schalke bosses. It is said that it is impossible to tell whether he prefers to shoot with his left or his right foot.

Leonard is also expected to remain a permanent fixture of the professional training squad starting January 1, 2026. However, if the personnel situation has eased by then, it’s also possible that Leonard will gain playing experience with the U23s under coach Jakob Fimpel.