Why isn’t Gio Reyna playing for Borussia Dortmund against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League?

Gio Reyna has long been considered one of the USMNT’s top young talents but 2023-24 hasn’t been his season. A regular in the Borussia Dortmund team at the age of just 18, the attacking midfielder’s recent time in Germany has been hampered by injuries and inconsistency, to the extent that he has swapped the latter stages of the Champions League - Dortmund face PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16 on Wednesday - for a regelation battle in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest.

Reyna’s lack of game time for Dortmund

After beginning the season with a fibula injury, which caused him to miss Dortmund’s first four Bundesliga Games, Reyna started just one of their next 15 fixtures in the German top flight up until the end of January. In the Champions League group stage, he played a grand total of only 20 minutes in two appearances, failing to come off the bench in four matches.

As a result, and with Jadon Sancho returning to Dortmund, the 21-year-old was allowed to leave the club on to Nottingham Forest, where he has linked up with USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner. But if you weren’t aware he had made the switch to the Premier League, it’s not a huge surprise…

USMNT attacker struggling to make an impact in the Premier League

Since moving to England, Reyna has made only four substitute appearances for his loan team, in which he has been on the field for just 39 minutes. In recent weeks, he came on for just a minute in the FA Cup defeat at home to Manchester United and wasn’t even named in the squad for Forest’s last two Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Brighton.

Reyna’s long-term future remains in Dortmund

Despite being shipped out by Dortmund, it appears they still have high hopes for the American. Forest don’t have an option to buy Reyna once his loan deal expires in June, while he signed a new contract with the German club until 2026 immediately before heading to Nottingham.

Despite Reyna not being involved, there will be plenty of American presence as Dortmund and PSV go head to head for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

USMNT trio Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi are all on the Dutch club’s roster, with Dest and Tillman tipped to start in Germany. The first leg ended 1-1 in Eindhoven three weeks ago.