The 16-year-old goalkeeper Roy Steur leaves the prestigious youth section at Ajax after six years and is now part of the Bayer 04 U19 squad. The two 15-year-old offensive players Jordan Zirkzee, brother of the FC Bayern striker Joshua Zirkzee, and Abdul Sesay will be on the hunt for goals with the Leverkusen U17s. Steur and Sesay have already made a number of international appearances for the Netherlands at youth level, Zirkzee has also attended several sessions organised by the Netherlands youth teams. His first youth international appearances fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated cancellation of matches.
"We are happy to have brought in such ambitious and talented youth players," said Thomas Eichin, head of the Performance Centre at Bayer 04. Bernd Korzynietz, head of youth scouting, talks about three players, "where we have not only succeeded in bringing in a wealth of talent. They also give us a boost on a personal level. Bayer 04 Leverkusen not only has a great reputation within Germany but also abroad as the signatures of these players demonstrate."
After a goalless and at times evenly-matched first half, Bayer 04's U19s ultimately suffered a heavy defeat at Manchester City. Coach Kevin Brok's depleted side - including five players who were part of the senior squad for the Champions League game in the evening - lost 6-0 on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Youth League.
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The Werkself face Manchester City for the very first time on Tuesday for Matchday 5 of the league phase in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The hosts sit fourth in the standings and boast huge quality in attack, while Leverkusen are looking to improve their meagre record of just one win from the last 10 games away at English clubs. A key player in that regard could be Aleix Garcia, the former City midfielder who ranks highly in several passing metrics in the Champions League this season. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Werkself's next European trip takes them to the north-west of England as Kasper Hjulmand's side take on Manchester City on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET) on Matchday 5 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. As usual, we'll take you along on the #aCROSSeurope journey and report from Manchester. All times listed are in CET.
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The annual Black and Red Week has started. Day one, Tuesday 25 November, includes a special ticket offer for Bayer 04 Club members and a special jersey offer for all Werkself fans...
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