USA youth international Gio Reyna has been rewarded for an impressive first six months in the Borussia Dortmund youth academy with promotion to Lucien Favre's first-team with immediate effect.

The 17-year-old joined BVB from New York City FC in summer 2019 and made a swift impact in the club's U19 side, registering eight goals and eight assists in 16 outings across the Bundesliga U19 West, the UEFA Youth League and DFB Youth Cup.

He has already sampled life with the senior pros, most recently scoring his first goal for the side in a friendly against Feyenoord earlier this month. The attacking midfielder also toured the USA with Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Co. last summer and provided an assist for Paco Alcacer in a friendly win over Liverpool.

Watch: Highlights of Dortmund's win over Feyenoord

Furthermore, Reyna was named in Favre’s 31-man Champions League roster, and included in a Bundesliga squad for the first time ever on Matchday 14, although he was an unused substitute in the 5-0 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Those small steps all contributed to him being named in Dortmund’s travelling party for their winter training camp in Marbella, where he registered another assist, in addition to his goal, in a 4-2 friendly win over Feyenoord.

"He presented himself well in Marbella, that's why we want to put him on a much higher level at training," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said. "We want to develop him to a full-fledged player of Borussia Dortmund."

Favre, who has previously praised Reyna, saying "he doesn't have any difficulties with the kind of football we want to play," has now evidently seen enough of the youngster’s talents to make him a permanent member of his first-team pool, although Reyna will still turn out for the U19s in the meantime.

"Welcome to the first-team, Gio" - Gio Reyna has been training with the likes of Erling Haaland during the winter break. - imago

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