He arrived on Sunday, he signed his contract on Monday and he took part in training for the first time on Tuesday. It has been quite a few days for Lee Buchanan, who is playing football outside of England for the first time. “It is very exciting,” said the 21-year-old in a press conference in Zillertal on Tuesday afternoon. Buchanan discusses his time at Derby County under coach Wayne Rooney, the competition for places in the team and his German language skills.
Despite all the excitement, it has been a stressful few weeks for Lee Buchanan: “It has been difficult not knowing where my future lies,” explained the youngster. Although it is clear that his future now lies with the Green-Whites, Buchanan still looks back fondly on his recent past. At his previous club Derby County, he was under the leadership of England legend Wayne Rooney: “It was a great period. As a child I had a shirt with his name on the back and I watched his games with my Dad. It was incredible to be able to train with him and learn for him. It was a privilege.”
He believes that the move to Werder was the best option for his career development: “Werder are massive club with lots of traditions and I could hardly say no after the conversations I had with the coach. I am really happy to be here.” He also noted that Werder fans have a particular commitment to their club. The competition for places is also very tight, but Buchanan is looking forward to competing with Anthony Jung in his position. “It will be hard work. But it is good to have competition in the team. It motivates me to work even harder and I will have to perform well on the training ground.”
Buchanan is fully aware of the areas of his game that need improvement. “I am only 21-years-old. I still have room for improvement in many areas. For example, my decision making in games and the runs I make. My right foot is also not as good as my left,” he chuckled. The defender, however, sets ambitious targets for himself and hopes to replicate the success of other young English talents in Germany: “I hope that I can be as successful in the Bundesliga as Jadon Sancho or Jude Bellingham. Jadon was great in Dortmund and its going really well for Jude right now.”
The 21-year-old has also been getting on really well with his new teammates, especially fellow Brit Oliver Burke. “They are all great lads. They all work hard on the pitch and are serious when they need to be. They have given me a really warm welcome,” explained Buchanan. Currently Buchanan is benefitting from the fact that all his teammates speak good English, because he cannot speak German yet. He is though planning to learn the language when the team are back in Bremen.
