USA head coach Gregg Berhalter has backed young striker Josh Sargent to rediscover his scoring boots for struggling Werder Bremen.

Sargent, 19, registered two goals and as many assists in his first nine appearances of the season, before missing Werder's last four matches of 2019 through injury. He helped the Green-Whites end a five-match losing run on his return, but the north German outfit lost to Hoffenheim last weekend and remain in serious trouble, in the relegation play-off spot, after 19 matches.

“We reviewed his game at the weekend [the 3-0 loss to Hoffenheim] and the team is going through a dip,” Berhalter said.

Berhalter (l.) has often come out in defence of Sargent (c.) and praised the teenager. - TIM VIZER/AFP via Getty Images

“With Josh in particular, I see it as some of the team function, and how they’re creating chances, and how they’re looking to make the most of their players. I think that’s been difficult at times. They haven’t been creating a lot of chances, and that’s difficult for a striker.

“For him, it’s about hanging in there, continuing doing the things that got him to that level, continuing to think about his movement off the ball, how he’s moving in the penalty box, and when he gets opportunities, making the most of them.”

Opportunities are certainly something Sargent has been given at Bremen. Following the Missouri native’s move across the Atlantic in 2017, the teenager was given time to settle in with the academy and reserves before being handed his senior debut in December 2018, coming off the bench to score with his first touch in the Bundesliga against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

He scored again two games later as Florian Kohfeldt eased him into first-team action. In the four games he has scored or assisted, Werder are unbeaten.

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Sargent, who has five goals in 12 USMNT appearances, is expected to lead the line for the third successive match on Saturday at Augsburg, against whom he scored his first goal of the season on Matchday 3.

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