Julian Gressel has praised David Ruiz’s performance against DC United on Saturday despite the Inter Miami talent playing out of position.
The 20-year-old Honduras international made his second start of the 2024 MLS season with Ruiz named in the right-back position despite the youngster naturally being a midfielder.
Playing as a right-wingback against CF Montreal, Ruiz was moved deeper into a 4-3-3 formation against DC United as Inter Miami came away with a 3-1 win in the US capital.
Julian Gressel praises David Ruiz performance vs DC United
And speaking on the Player/Manager podcast, Gressel was full of praise for how Ruiz performed on the day, with the Inter Miami midfielder becoming a real role model for the younger players.
Gressel has established himself as a key figure for Tata Martino’s side, and the USA international was impressed with what he saw from Ruiz against DC United for Inter Miami.
Gressel said: “We knew were going to rotate a little bit. We didn’t start with Jordi Alba or Luis Suarez, so that requires more preparation and more talking to the younger guys who haven’t been part of the team before.
“That’s where my role comes in of a more vocal guy for those players to make them feel as comfortable and to show how important they are to the team. Look at David Ruiz, he came in as a right-back and played a really good game despite not playing a ton and playing out of position, it makes a big difference.”
David Ruiz could develop into Inter Miami’s starting right-back
Inter Miami are yet to find their replacement for Yedlin, who earlier this month was surprisingly traded to FC Cincinnati leaving the Herons short in the right-back position.
Whilst Ruiz needs more minutes in the role, it’s clear that Martino sees potential in the 20-year-old playing in the position, and the youngster should grab the chance with both hands.
The Miami-born talent clearly has a future with Inter Miami, and playing at right-back could be where Ruiz gets his big break, especially after impressing so much in pre-season.