Weston McKennie: Everything You Need to Know About the American Midfielder

After the longest of all seasons comes a ludicrously short break. The hiatus between campaigns may be contracted, but that has done little to quell the ceaseless churn of transfer rumours.

FC Schalke 04's Weston McKennie is the latest player to have been engulfed in the eye of the spending storm. The midfielder - who turns 22 at the end of August - has been one of the few bright spots in a dire second half of the season for Schalke.

While the Royal Blues' struggles on the field are mirrored in their financial accounts, Schalke may be forced to offload McKennie. The established US international has risen through the club's academy to become one of the team's most important players, garnering attention from the likes of Liverpool and Southampton.

Not everyone is familiar with him, though. So if that's the case for you, read on while 90min's factfile fills in your blanks.

1. Versatile

When former Schalke manager Domenico Tedesco claimed McKennie 'can play anywhere in midfield, in front of the defence or behind the attack, at centre-back in a back three or a back four', he wasn't overstating the America international's versatility. In fact, Tedesco overlooked his time spent at right-back.

McKennie is always willing to fulfil any role his manager tasks him with - once even joking: "If he tells me to play goalie I will give my best."

But the 21-year-old is keen to nail down one role in particular, ideally in midfield: "I might be good at many positions but I want to be great at one," he told The Athletic. "I want to be the guy who’s playing because I’m the best in my position.”

2. Well-Rounded Playing Style

McKennie has described his style as 'win the ball and look to play it'. In typically self-deprecating fashion, McKennie has somewhat simplified his varied skillset.

As a defensive minded player in a two- or three-man midfield, McKennie's priority revolves around breaking up the play. The American is particularly adept at anticipating a developing attack and stepping in to intercept the ball.

His current Schalke manager David Wagner has also been keen to stress the midfielder's 'great mentality' and his 'fighting gene'. However, McKennie also offers excellent ball retention and is a threat in the opposition box - particularly in the air given his 6'1, well-built frame.

Having thrived in Wagner's high-pressing Schalke side - even when the team deteriorated around him in 2020 - McKennie has the ideal attributes to slot into Ralph Hasenhüttl's dynamic Southampton side in the absence of Tottenham-bound Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

3. Schalke's 'Fun Cannon'

So often the first thing that springs to mind when a teammate is asked about McKennie is his amiable personality. The man his close friend and international teammate Christian Pulisic (positively) labelled 'a clown' admits that 'I'm always going to dance, I'm always going to sing, it's just the person I am'.

Understandably, at Schalke McKennie is known as a 'Spasskanone' - literally, 'fun cannon'.

The German behemoth's former sporting director Christian Heidel recounted an example of McKennie's laid back demeanour to the Bundesliga website, remembering: "I have to say, I've rarely seen a player so relaxed before a game against Bayern [Munich]. He was whistling when he went down the tunnel."

4. Politically Active

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in May, McKennie was one of several Bundesliga players to use their platform - as the only major European league playing at the time - to protest.

Schalke's number two wore a black armband with the message: "Justice for GEORGE FLOYD" written across it. However, during the match the referee asked him to remove it. “I was like, ‘I’m not taking it off’," McKennie told Forbes.

"There’s a rule in the league that you can't make political statements. But I mean, if you really, really look at this as a political statement, then I don't know what to tell you. The league and everyone [in football] always preaches ‘say no to racism’.

"So I didn't think that there would be a problem. If I have to take the consequences to express my opinion, to express my feelings, to stand up for what I believe in, then that's something that I have to do.”

McKennie, who was born in Little Elms, Texas, moved to Germany at the age of five due to his father's job in the US military before returning to America after three years. The former FC Dallas academy talent has also branded US president Donald Trump a 'racist' after his handling of the protests.