Zendejas is definitely #1, but it speaks to the paucity of options that Paredes and his 250 minutes in the last two years is definitely #2.
Seems that way with how much attention certain injury prone players get; Reyna. The point I was trying to make/imply before was that Paredes was seen as a key prospect years ago when he arrived in Wolfsburg and did well. He’s been injured for so long that his lack of attention in returning back recently is a bit surprising considering he’s only 22 and playing for a mid-Bundesliga team. Maybe everyone is expecting he’s going to have another major injury and isn’t a player expected to be involved in the WC 4 months from now.
The lack of attention isn't surprising. He's been hurt so much it's almost impossible to generate hype. If he gets a run of say, half a season of consistent starts and performs well he will get some attention. But, even then, he's played a lot of FB... it's not that exciting of a position. Steve Cherundolo threads weren't exactly burning down bigsoccer in the 2000s. Joe Scally threads aren't that lit either tbh for a more recent example. Paredes does have some more offensive flair to his game but he's just hardly played at all.
Paredes is not in the squad today, Wolfsburg visiting RB Leipzig. Edit: “Paredes didn't train Friday due to illness and is out for Sunday's match against Leipzig, according to manager Daniel Bauer.”
i wonder if these guys like paredes, reyna, etc need a warm climate instead of germany? maybe the cold weather is contributing to the muscle injuries
many of us just aren't built for high level athletic competition, especially one so grueling and physically demanding.