Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer said new signing Emerson Hyndman can excel in Major League Soccer because of what the midfielder showed during his time abroad.
“He played in Scotland, of course, and also England. That’s high-intensity,” de Boer said after training Friday, per audio provided by the club. “I think he also has high intensity with a lot of duels and everything. He’s not the biggest, but he dealt well with it, and I think that’s the reason why we think, ‘OK, he can manage also in this league.’
“I think comparing the Scotland league and this league, it’s a little bit the same intensity.”
Hyndman, listed at 5-foot-9 and 135 pounds, came up in the FC Dallas academy before starting he professional career with English Championship side Fulham in 2014. After two seasons with the Cottagers, he jumped to the Premier League, signing on a free transfer with Bournemouth in 2016. Hyndman made just eight appearances with the Cherries, but in loan spells with Rangers and Hibernian, scored five goals and provided four assists in 36 total games for the Scottish Premiership clubs.
Atlanta acquired Hyndman from Bournemouth on loan with an option to purchase at the end of the 2019 MLS season. The Five Stripes sent an international roster slot in 2019 and 2020 and $200,000 in General Allocation Money to Dallas for the 23-year-old’s discovery rights. Hyndman will be eligible to play once the MLS secondary transfer window opens July 9.
In de Boer’s system, Hyndman looks to be someone who can influence the game in attack and defense from a central role.
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“I think he’s a quality player,” the manager said. “He can play as a box-to-box player, he’s a player that is always on the move. It’s quite hard to defend those kind of players because static players are normally much better to defend.
“I like what I saw and what he’s showing right now on the training pitch is also quite good, so it’s a good quality addition for our roster.”
De Boer praised the Atlanta front office’s ability to identify players who can not only produce right away, but also are good in the locker room. While Hyndman comes to Atlanta on a loan deal, the option to purchase and the assets going to Dallas show de Boer is looking for the American to make an impact beyond 2019.
“I think [the front office is] doing a great job, talking to people, what is his character, not only his quality but his character, his work rate and everything?” De Boer said. “And then we’re going to make a decision: Is he suitable for our team, can we use him, not only in the short period, but hopefully also in the longer term?”