Cyriaque Irie earns praise from Julian Schuster after Freiburg friendly

Cyriaque Irie made a strong early case for himself as SC Freiburg opened their summer preparations with a 3-1 friendly win over Derby County.

The young attacker scored the opener and stood out throughout the match, giving coach Julian Schuster plenty to like.

Schuster praised Irie’s physical progress, saying it was positive that the player had used the break to get himself into better shape. He added that there is still room for improvement, but also stressed that Irié’s quality becomes clear once the fitness base is in place. The Freiburg coach was especially pleased that the forward had backed up what he showed in the first two training weeks with a good performance in a real match.

For the 21-year-old, the display matters because last season was difficult. Malaria disrupted his rhythm and limited him to just ten Bundesliga appearances, so this strong start to pre-season could be an important turning point.

If he keeps building on this performance, Irie may finally establish himself more firmly in Freiburg’s plans and move into a bigger role in the new campaign.