International manager says 22-year-old player Arsenal sold is ‘one of the best’ he’s ever coached

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USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter has claimed that Arsenal old-boy Folarin Balogun is one of the best players he has ever coached.

The 22-year-old American came through the ranks at Arsenal and was viewed by many as a ‘frightening prospect‘. However, he was sold in the summer to Ligue 1 side Monaco.

USA manager raves about Arsenal old-boy Folarin Balogun

Arsenal sent Folarin Balogun to Stade Reims on loan at the start of last season, and he became a superstar in France.

He scored 22 goals in all competitions for Will Still’s side in what was a stunning individual campaign. The 22-year-old became a wanted man in the summer – not just domestically but at international level as well.

Balogun was eligible to play for the USMNT and the Americans did everything they could to lure him away from England, whom he represented at youth level.

Gregg Berhalter’s side got their wish in the end, and Balogun is now a regular for the USMNT.

Following his goal against Ghana this week, his manager, Berhalter, claimed that he’s one of the best players he has ever coached.

He told Goal: “You can tell guys were looking for him and that’s the most important thing. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached at running behind the backline and you need guys picking up on his runs and you need guys brave enough to play the ball.

“You saw that so I think that was a step forward for the team in terms of getting Balo on the ball. You saw he was able to score and he could have had a couple of more.”

The Gunners were right to sell Balogun

There has been a fair bit of debate over the last few months over whether Arsenal were right to sell Folarin Balogun.

Stuart Robson claimed that the American is a better player than Eddie Nketiah and suggested that the Gunners made a mistake selling him.

However, Balogun wanted to be a regular and that was never going to happen at Arsenal. That’s why he was allowed to leave, and £35 million (BBC) for an academy graduate is a brilliant bit of business.

All things considered, we think Arsenal were right to sell Balogun in the summer.