Manager Hansi Flick lost both his full-backs, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde, to hamstring injuries during the game against Los Rojiblancos, which his team won 3-0. As confirmed by the club, Balde is set to be out for four weeks, while Kounde, too, could be staring at a similar period on the sidelines.
The goal of such a trip wasn't just to gauge what a player was in that moment, but where he could end up, and there was plenty that Mitrovic liked about the young defender. He was impressed by how Banks could hit a pass, as well as the way the defender thought the game. Banks had an exceptional soccer brain. That boded well for the future.