Bundesliga Player Check Uzun (20) poised for another leap forward

Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Can Uzun supplied one of the outstanding individual performances of Bundesliga Matchday 8 during Sunday's 3-1 victory over Hamburger SV. The 20-year-old Turkish international pulled the strings from the No.

10 position, repeatedly exploiting gaps between Hamburg's defensive lines and ultimately supplying the assist for Younes Ebnoutalib's decisive third goal. Another edition of our Get German Football News "Bundesliga Player Check" series examines Uzun's return to form following a difficult opening to the 2026/27 campaign.

The talented youngster has now impressed in consecutive fixtures against Hamburg, earning praise from the same head coach who publicly criticized his performances only weeks earlier. How has Can Uzun improved at Eintracht Frankfurt?

Those keeping close tabs on Frankfurt over the past two seasons will recall that Uzun's technical abilities have rarely been in question. The €11m acquisition from Nürnberg began the previous Bundesliga campaign in spectacular fashion.

As Get German Football News documented following his record-setting performance against Werder Bremen, Uzun became the youngest Frankfurt player to register three goal contributions in a Bundesliga match. Six consecutive scoring appearances followed before amuscle injury interrupted his momentum in November.

The subsequent months proved considerably more complicated. Accordingly, questions emerged concerning his optimal tactical position.

During Albert Riera's tenure, the youngster sometimes struggled to reproduce his most effective attacking work when deployed away from his preferred central role. A January GGFNtactical assessment had already highlighted his promising contributions as a false nine and the difficulties associated with employing him in deeper or wider positions.

Adi Hütter's summer return initially offered renewed encouragement. Uzun's creativity in Frankfurt's narrow 4-2-2-2 was evident throughout preseason, but so were the defensive concerns associated with his work in the left half-space.

As noted inour extensive Frankfurt tactical preview, the advancing fullbacks regularly required additional protection whenever Frankfurt surrendered possession. Hütter's subsequent switch to a back-three system offered the Turkish international greater attacking freedom.