Mandela Egbo is Monchengladbach’s young English trailblazer biding his time in the Bundesliga

This season has witnessed a number of talented English players leave these shores in search of first team football in the Bundesliga. Jadon Sancho, Reece Oxford and Ademola Lookman are all strutting their stuff in Germany’s top flight but Borussia Monchengladbach defender Mandela Egbo knows that success is not always instant.

Egbo rose through the ranks at Crystal Palace before deciding in the summer of 2015, aged just 17, that his future lay elsewhere and he accepted the chance to join Monchengladbach. The defender spent the following two years honing his skills in order before making his Bundesliga debut in February, coming on for the final 10 minutes of a win over Hannover and now he is determined to get more.

“It is just the first step,” Egbo told The Independent. “It was just the first 10 minutes in hopefully a long, long career, so it was definitely something to be happy about, however, to say it’s justified everything, I do not have to justify the move to anybody, first of all, but if success does justify it then one game or 10 minutes is not enough yet, so I am proud and happy with the achievement but I am not satisfied, I am never satisfied. I am always working for more, so therefore 10 minutes in the Bundesliga is nice but I am always working for more, more and more, so hopefully it will come.”

Two and a half seasons playing for the club’s Under-23 side who compete in Germany’s fourth tier against professional teams has aided Egbo’s development and he knows featuring against men was key on his path to the first team. The B team argument is one often discussed in England and Egbo accepts it was a vital step up for him.

“It is a way of always progressing, always getting games under your belt. I was playing for the Under-21s at Palace and it’s a bit different as you’re playing against kids your age. Here you’re playing against men and it stands you in good stead because obviously when you’re playing for the first team it’s against men, the points make a difference, the points mean something and you get that from playing in the Under-23s out here, although it is called the Under-23s, we are one of the few Under-23 teams in the league, the rest are men’s teams, so it is definitely a good experience.”

When Egbo made what looked like a bold move for a 17-year-old in 2015 he saw it as a “no-brainer” to sign for one of the biggest clubs in Germany. He does not believe his technique or style would have changed much in England, however, heading abroad ensured he grew up quicker and became older than his years. He has also learned the language and recently did his first interview in German, which the defender is rightly proud of.

“It goes without saying, when you move away from mum, dad and siblings you have to come into your own person and really learn about the things you lack, you get to know yourself even better, you have to be by yourself a lot of the time, so you definitely become more mature, you learn to live alone, you learn to do things for yourself, so moving away from home has definitely helped speed up that process as you have no choice, as it has to be quick, you have to get on with life.

“I did my first interview [in German] – a little one – on Saturday after the game, I was very scared beforehand but it went pretty well, so I am happy with that.”

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Last summer teenage winger Sancho left Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund, Oxford joined Egbo at Borussia Monchengladbach, Arsenal youngster Kaylen Hinds moved Wolfsburg, while Lookman rejected Sam Allardyce’s advice to stay at Everton in order to head to RB Leipzig on loan. Egbo, who now looks like a trendsetter, can see why others are jumping ship in search of a better chance of first team football rather than getting stuck in the Premier League squad bottleneck many have suffered from.

“There is a clear pathway for young players in Germany and especially at Borussia [Monchengladbach] they are the heart of the club and the way the club want to go on, and for those reasons I think it was clear for Reece to see. I think he will also have looked at the loan of Andreas Christensen and how successful that was and thought like I did that it was a bit of a no-brainer and to come out here like I did for something good, to get game time in an amazing league and with an amazing team and try to push for the top of the top, which is European football and those European nights.

“The fact I am out here maybe makes them think it’s doable. It may not have been looked at as something that people did before but now there’s me, Reece, Jadon, Kaylen and a few other boys are out here and now people are looking at it and saying ‘hold on, this is doable, why not look into this?’ and I think that’s a good thing.”

During his time at Palace, Egbo was a regular with England youth teams, featuring at every age group up to Under-18’s but since joining Monchengladbach he has not been called up, although the player himself does not think he is either out of sight or mind in Germany.

“The FA have definitely been in contact with me, so I do not feel there are any problems there. I know that have been in touch with Reece and Jadon in the build up to tournaments and they’ve been called up for this international break, too. So I don’t think being out here means they’re not watching anymore, they’re not far away from home anyway, so I am pretty sure scouts are out here watching games and that just leaves it up to the players to make sure they’re doing on the pitch to get scouted.”

Now Egbo has had a taste of the first team he just wants more, he may have had to bide his time and wait for his chance but as the number of Englishmen in Germany grows, their trailblazer is ready for his own light to shine.