Minnesota United: Jan Kirchoff offers depth and potential, with a catch

Jan Kirchhoff was on trial with Minnesota United in the last week of the season. The former Sunderland midfielder offers depth and potential, with a catch.

Per The Athletic’s Jeff Rueter, German midfielder Jan Kirchhoff had a two-week trial with Minnesota United during the final weeks of the regular season.

Should Minnesota’s front office choose to sign the 28-year-old, they will have to wait until December 12th when Free Agency begins, so him not being signed up to this point does not necessarily mean that the club has chosen to go in another direction, though they do have an interesting decision to make.

Kirchhoff is definitely a talented and relatively young player and the primary reason that he isn’t currently playing in the Bundesliga or the Premier League is an expansive injury history that has plagued him since his career began.

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Kirchhoff has only played one full season in his career, and that was in the Bundesliga with Mainz, all the way back in 2011. That season was an outlier, however, as he has rarely topped 15 games in a season for much of his career.

Will the Loons take a chance on the talented, yet injury-riddled German midfielder? They just might. He plays two of Minnesota’s thinnest positions. Mainly a defensive midfielder, Kirchhoff can also play as a center-back, so, at the very least, he would add depth to two different positions where the team could certainly use some. And after releasing 11 players earlier this week, Minnesota has a roster that needs some serious investment in the depth department.

Should Kirchhoff stay healthy, he could be one of the best midfielders in MLS, but given just how unlikely that is, the club will have to decide whether bringing Kirchhoff in on a non-DP deal to play 10-15 matches a season is worth it.

His time at Sunderland, for instance, was marred by inconsistencies caused by injuries. When played at center-back he frequently struggled because of his lack of fitness. But when he was afforded a run of starts in defensive midfield, he performed admirably. If he can succeed, at least relatively, in the Premier League, then he clearly has the pedigree to do so in MLS.

Will the Loons sign Kirchhoff? Can the talented German stay healthy? These questions will be answered as the off-season progresses, and it will certainly be a busy one for Minnesota United.