USA midfielder Tyler Adams has opened up on the reasons behind his recent long-term contract extension at RB Leipzig, saying it is “the perfect place” for him to continue his development.

Already a household name in the global soccer community, it is easy to forget that Adams is still only 21. He arrived in Germany in January 2019 from the New York Red Bulls and was an instant hit at the Red Bull Arena, before being sidelined for almost six months with a persistent groin complaint.

As such he has been limited to just 15 Bundesliga appearances and two in the DFB Cup, but that has already been enough to convince the New York native that he’s in the right place.

Adams (l.) describes himself as "fearless" and is unfazed by playing against the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Bayern Munich. - Jan Huebner/Eduard Martin via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Jan Huebner

“It’s such a family-oriented club,” he told Leipzig’s in-house television channel, BullenTV. “I’m really excited to extend my contract and to continue my development with the club. I think it’s the perfect place to not only grow as a player but as a person as well.”

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann is clearly a fan of the 10-time USMNT international, starting him in every Bundesliga game between Matchdays 17 and 21 following his comeback from injury, before Adams was sidelined again recently with a now-healed calf complaint.

“I’m back in full team training now,” Adams continued. “Obviously it was frustrating to pick up another little injury, but I’m glad it was only two weeks. So now I’m back, fit and ready to play.”

Watch: From the archives - Adams on settling in at Leipzig

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Not only that – the Leipzig No.14 has set the bar high when it comes to this season’s objectives. Nagelsmann’s side are currently second in the Bundesliga, three points behind leaders Bayern Munich, and also hold a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Tottenham Hotspur.

“For me personally, the most important thing is winning a trophy,” Adams said. “We want to win the league and go as far as possible in the Champions League and possibly win a trophy.

"So continuing to fight for that top spot in the Bundesliga is important to us and we’re very close to finishing the season on top, so we need to take it game by game and continue to pick up points.”

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