Oliver Burke feels at home in Bremen. He likes the city and the Scotland international shot himself into Werder hearts with his last historic late-winner in Dortmund – one of the nicest moments of last season. It is moments like this that he would like to experience more of in the future. “I want to start – regardless of position,” emphasised Burke.
During the 5-2 win against Toulouse, he made a good impression playing in an unfamiliar right wing-back role. Not only the fans, but also Ole Werner enjoyed Burke’s performance. “He played well and was disciplined,” said the head coach. “With his approach, his unbelievable pace and his physicality, it is not a question of potential with him. The question is how consistently he gets on the pitch and that is something for him to answer himself.”
Burke has already played on the right wing during his loan to Millwall. His role against Toulouse was just a step more defensive than that. Playing as a wing-back he would get more space to make use of his pace, even if this attacking urge could lead to a risk defensively. “I like to play out wide and I enjoyed it,” said Burke. “The coach spoke with me and told me that he wanted to try something. It was a good game, but the position is very difficult.”
In attack, there are lots of players fighting for not many positions, while at right wing-back, Burke sees Mitchell Weiser as having been one of the best players in the league last season. “The competition for places in this team is huge in every position,” explained Burke. “It is always good for a player to play different positions. I will give my all and see what happens.”