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Fifteen minutes, two deft passes, a what-might-have-been almost-assist. Giovanni Reyna’s Champions League cameo against Paris Saint-Germain last night was certainly short, but it was sweet.

Is that really enough, though? Reyna came to Dortmund for opportunities, leaving family and friends back home to chase his dreams as a 16-year-old. But what does he do if the chances have dried up?

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This season, he has been on the pitch for just 268 minutes in all competitions. His only other Champions League minutes came against Newcastle United in October, again as a late substitute. There have been only two starts: one in the second round of the DFB-Pokal against Hoffenheim in November, and the other his sole Bundesliga start against Eintracht Frankfurt in October.

The latter came on the back of two starts (and two goals) for his country against Ghana and Germany. There was a sense of a long-overdue momentum shift for a player plagued by injury and frustration.

His inclusion in the 3-3 draw with Frankfurt seemed like a nod of reward from manager Edin Terzic, but he was withdrawn at half-time and was back on the bench as an unused substitute in the following game, a 4-0 defeat at Bayern Munich.

There have been no further starts since. Even in the cup, where he may have been given a spot for the third-round tie against Stuttgart last week, a sickness bug prevented the American’s involvement. It is a familiar narrative for him at club level lately; every step forward is followed by at least one back.

Dortmund, who are fifth in the Bundesliga, have two more games before German football’s winter break. When their league campaign resumes against Darmstadt on January 13, the transfer window will be open and the question will remain: does Reyna need to depart if he is to start playing regular football?

His deal runs out in June 2025. Dortmund have long been pondering the dilemma of whether to sell next summer or, more likely, offer him a new contract in the hope he can shine consistently and eventually become a saleable asset akin to his friend Jude Bellingham, now setting records at Real Madrid after a move from Dortmund last summer. Given Reyna cost them very little when he joined, any sale would mean a significant profit for Dortmund

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But a new deal alone might not be enough to enhance his value. Dortmund may also hope Reyna, who started the USMNT’s last two games (a win and a defeat in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals against Trinidad and Tobago), will perform well in next summer’s Copa America.

But that is made more difficult if he is not playing regularly and building form. It was a dilemma shared by Christian Pulisic, and prompted his move from Chelsea in the summer. It has worked remarkably well for the U.S. captain, who scored in AC Milan’s win over Newcastle last night and has become an integral part of Stefano Pioli’s team.

Or perhaps he will follow the example of another international team-mate, Weston McKennie, and fight to win over his coach. The Texan has proved he can be trusted by Max Allegri in Turin following speculation he would be a cast-off in the summer.

There are suitors rumoured to be interested if he chooses the option of a move away — perhaps the most obvious being a loan until the end of the season like McKennie’s to Leeds United last term.

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Reports elsewhere have suggested other German clubs are interested, as are some in Spain and Italy. Perhaps the last option is the most enticing: joining a revived league which has become a home to a clutch of gifted American players who are thriving.

Scouts who might have watched him at Dortmund may have noted that when he is fully fit, few are better than Reyna at receiving passes between the lines. In a side that then routinely struggled to break down defences, he was the best, most reliable conduit into the danger area Dortmund have had since Jadon Sancho left in the summer of 2021. But can any club truly rely on him to be robust enough to play regularly?

Dortmund only ever explained the absence that caused him to miss the start of this season as being due to a leg injury — it was believed to have been a fractured fibula — but even if some there must wonder if he will ever be consistently available, sporting director Sebastian Kehl has been upbeat.

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“He started well, had some good moments. He’s not threatening goals just yet, the way he can do,” he said after Reyna played 26 minutes against Union Berlin in October. “But he’s an important player and we need him.”

The German club will not view his cameos from the bench as being a problem in the same way USMNT fans or manager Gregg Berhalter might. They will point to last season, when Reyna scored seven goals and created four, despite making just seven starts in all competitions.

But managers looking to revitalize their midfield with creativity and style in January might also see that ability to make an impact as something worth taking a risk on, even if Reyna’s propensity for injury remains a concern.

The final whistle came too soon for him on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old was building up momentum when the curtain came down on Group F, with his side its winners.

It will not be long until it becomes clear whether the midfielder has asked Dortmund to let him spread his wings.

He faces the problem of ever-impressive veteran Marco Reus holding down the No 10 role he craves. In wide areas, Terzic has other compelling options in exciting English 19-year-old Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and 21-year-old Germany international Karim Adeyemi.

The challenge remains for Reyna to convert promise into end product. To stay fit and seize his chances when they come — or to hit the ground running with a short-term new club.

(Top photo: Leon Kuegeler/Getty Images)

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