U.S. international John Brooks could be heading for the exit door at Hertha Berlin.
Reports from Germany suggest the young American defender could be allowed to leave Hertha after being relegated to their reserve side after several inconsistent performances to start the 2013-14 season.
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Brooks, 21, famously burst on the scene after scoring the last-gasp winning goal for the USA against Ghana in their 2014 World Cup opener after coming off the bench to replace Matt Besler at half time.
On his return to the Bundesliga this season, Brooks has started three games but was left out of Hertha’s squad which lost 1-0 to Augsburg at the weekend and he instead played in a 3-0 win for their reserves on Friday. In the previous game the German-American was criticized as the Berliners drew 2-2 against SC Freiburg.
Hertha’s head coach Jos Luhukay has had issues with Brooks before. Last season the USMNT player was disciplined after having a huge tattoo inked on his back and not being able to play. Luhukay warned Brooks he must be more mature and at times the American defender struggled during his first full season in the Bundesliga, and was substituted early in games on more than one occasion.
With Hertha sitting in 14th spot in Germany’s top flight after the first six games of the season, more was expected of Brooks after his heroics for the USA at the World Cup this summer. After coming through the ranks at his hometown club Hertha, Brooks is at a critical point in his young career.
It’s safe to say that the U.S. national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be monitoring this situation closely, as Brooks’ days in Berlin could be numbered.