Official | St. Pauli extend USMNT international James Sands’ loan deal | OneFootball

FC St. Pauli have officially extended the loan of New York City FC centre-back/defensive midfielder James Sands. The Bundesliga outfit initially loaned out the 13-times-capped USMNT international for a six-month-stint this past January. On Tuesday, Hamburg’s Kiezkicker confirmed the extension of Sands’ loan for the entirely of next season.

Sands made a solid impression for Alexander Blessin’s team in seven overall appearances and five consecutive starts between matchdays 18 and 22. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old bowed out for the rest of the year with a horror double ankle injury incurred in the round 22 0-1 loss to Freiburg.

Sands’ loan would have been automatically extended via an appearance-based clause had he not gotten hurt. All those involved with the club expressed their pleasure at the chance to keep Sands longer in spite of the regrettable occurrence.

“We are very happy that we have been able to reach an agreement to extend the loan deal,” St. Pauli sporting director Andreas Bornemann noted in a club statement, “In his appearances for us thus far, he has already proven that he can hold his own in the Bundesliga and strengthen our team. Now it’s important to continue to support James in the best possible way as he returns to the pitch.“

”James had settled in excellently since his arrival and was then unfortunately hampered by injury,” Blessin himself added. “He has shown that he can contribute a lot to with his tactical understanding, flexibility, and skill in one-on-one situations. So it’s all the better that we now know he’ll be with us for much longer than just half a season.“

”A lot of what I hoped for when I moved to Hamburg has come true,” the player himself said. “My arrival was made very easy for me, both on a personal and professional level, and I’m very proud to have proven myself with the team in the Bundesliga. Of course, missing a large part of the second half of the season is a disappointment, but it’s also incentive to get back on the pitch as soon as possible so that we can build on what we’ve achieved together.“

GGFN | Peter Weis