Jessic Ngankam, on loan at Hannover 96, wants to really get his career going. In the capital of Lower Saxony, the striker will play alongside old acquaintances.
He is looking forward to his time in Hanover: Jessic Ngankam. imago images
His eyes shine: “The first few days were great!” says Jessic Ngankam. “We had intensive sessions. That’s good, because we need the basics for the season. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and get the runs done.”
And that’s what the new signing from Hannover 96 likes to do. The main thing is that he is healthy and fit. That hasn’t always been the case in his career. The 23-year-old, who was considered a great talent, was often set back, so that he hasn’t yet made his big breakthrough in the professional business. Three years ago he tore his cruciate ligament, in 2022 he suffered another knee injury, then two more muscle fiber tears, most recently in May when he was on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt to Mainz 05.
He knows how I tick.
The Berlin native grew up in the youth team of Hertha BSC. In 2020, Ngankam was promoted to the capital club’s professional squad and in 2021 was loaned to Bundesliga newcomers Greuther Fürth. The club’s coach at the time: Stefan Leitl, head coach at Hannover 96 since 2022. “The fact that I know the coach also played a role in the move. He knows how I tick,” says the new Hannover resident, who has also played alongside his current teammates Havard Nielsen and Max Christiansen in Fürth.
Now they are playing together again. Hannover 96 has loaned Ngankam from Eintracht Frankfurt. In 2023, the striker moved from Berlin to the Main metropolis and was loaned to Mainz 05 in January of this year. After only eight Bundesliga appearances, Ngankam returned to Frankfurt and was loaned to 96 to get more playing time. The Lower Saxony team was unable to negotiate a purchase option.
Ngankam has “no number in mind”
For the 23-year-old, who has played 65 first division games, Hannover 96 is the first second division club of his career. “I haven’t played in the second division yet. This is new territory for me,” says Ngankam, who “can hardly wait for the season to start.” But there are still more than four weeks to go until the first match day and the home game at the beginning of August against newly promoted Jahn Regensburg.
Until then, there is still a lot of training to do and, above all, staying injury-free. After the departure of top scorer Cedric Teuchert to St. Louis (USA), Hannover 96 needs an accurate striker. Jessic Ngankam does not want to commit to how many goals he wants to score in the new season: “I don’t have a number in mind. But I wouldn’t mind if it were a few,” he says. He also reveals his sporting advantages: “I am a robust and dynamic striker, have a good right foot and am more of a Füllkrug type than Musiala.” This at least suggests that Hannover 96 can expect some header goals from their new signing.
2024-07-04 17:20:47
#Ngankam #arrives #Füllkrug #Musiala
