'Good pedigree, but yet to reach his full potential': The expert view on Burnley's latest signing Jacob Bruun Larsen

The 24-year-old – the club’s ninth addition of pre-season – joined on a season-long loan from German outfit Hoffenheim.

The winger has made 50 appearances over the last three years for the Bundesliga side, having previously represented Borussia Dortmund. There’s also been loan spells at Stuttgart and Anderlecht, playing under Vincent Kompany with the latter.

But not a lot else is known about the Danish international, especially to an English audience, so we spoke to Ben McFadyean, the founder of a Dortmund fan club and an expert on German football, to get the lowdown.

What sort of player is he?

“He’s a physical player but the one thing that stands out is his versatility. While he’s right footed he can play on the left wing very well and also in attack.

“He’s always assumed to be a centre forward but at Hoffenheim he’s been used mainly as an attacking midfielder.

“He’s got a habit of finding himself in the right position but I’m not sure how good his finishing is.

“I think Burnley are taking on a versatile player who comes with a good pedigree. He’s an all-round solid player but I don’t think any club has brought the best out of him so far.

“He’s certainly got the potential, he was especially a solid performer in the youth ranks at Dortmund.

“He hasn’t quite had the breakthrough people expected of him, I think that’s a fair assessment.”

What happened during his time at Dortmund?

“A lot was expected of him at the time. Dortmund thought he really had something and at the time they really needed a forward.

“There was a hope Bruun Larsen would be able to provide some firepower and he got quite a few games. They gave him a lot of chances.

“He made his first appearance at around 18 or 19, he won goal of the month on one occasion and he played in the Champions League as well, so he has some quality.

“But people thought at the time he would be a really good partner for Marco Reus, who is the record goalscorer for Dortmund, but he suffered quite a major injury in 2017 and was subsequently loaned out.

“People thought he had a very good nose for goal and we really did think he would become a top goalscorer at a time where we really needed it.

“He was loaned out to Stuttgart during the 2017/18 season but only played four games, so you wouldn’t really argue he had a massive breakthrough there either.

“Dortmund really do give players a chance, much more than many clubs and they select very well indeed looking far and wide for the very best talent. However once they make their mind up, that's it.

“Having said that, the fact that Bruun Larsen was loaned suggests that Dortmund thought he could be something.”

How did he fare at Hoffenheim?

“From Dortmund he went on to Hoffenheim, where he enjoyed a lot better experience, playing around 50 matches. He was much more integrated and involved.

“He still only scored five goals, however, which suggests he still didn’t quite hit the heights in front of goal.

“The club’s director of football Alexander Rosen was recently quoted as saying: ‘Jacob is a highly talented offensive player who brings an incredible amount of talent to the table. It’s unfortunate that such a gifted player has only ever been able to show the rudiments of his potential in recent years’.”

What do you think attracted Kompany to him?

“I know he spent some time with Kompany at Anderlecht, but I’m not entirely sure how that worked out. But clearly Kompany has seen something from his time coaching him.

“Managers like Kompany often see something in these young players that the rest of us don’t necessarily see.”

Ben McFadyean is a PhD researcher at the University of East Anglia and is the founder of the London-based Dortmund Fan Club. He also runs a Dortmund podcast, which can be found here.