Justin Heekeren only has one goal after his S04 return. © Tim Rehbein/RHR photo
Schalke goalkeeper Justin Heekeren will return to Gelsenkirchen in the summer. Ralf Fährmann and Marius Müller have to dress warmly.
Gelsenkirchen – This loan is currently paying off in full for FC Schalke 04. Justin Heekeren moved to Belgian second division club Patro Eisden Maasmechelen in January to gain playing time. He gets it.
Schalke goalkeeper Justin Heekeren announces big things
S04 loanee Heekeren is really thriving in Belgium. The 23-year-old promptly became the starting goalkeeper for coach Stijn Stijnen’s team. “I have match practice at a very, very good level. “That’s exactly what everyone involved wanted,” says the keeper in an interview with Rhenish Post about his situation.
The goalkeeper classifies the level in the second Belgian league roughly between the lower second league and the upper third league in Germany. Patro Eisden Maasmechelen itself is in the top half of the table and is playing for the promotion places.
Goalkeeper announcement: Heekeren wants to “become number one at Schalke”
Heekeren does not regret his decision. At Schalke there would initially have been no getting past Marius Müller and Ralf Fährmann. Appearances in the U23, however, would be a step on the spot. Heekeren had already played in the regional league with Rot-Weiß Oberhausen before moving to S04.
In the summer we return to Gelsenkirchen with plenty of new experience and self-confidence. And Heekeren only has one mission there, as he clearly announces: “My very clear goal is still that I want to become number one at Schalke.”
Heekeren is a candidate for the future in the S04 goal – but when does it start?
Heekeren himself considers his plans for the future to be “not so unrealistic”. However: Schalke’s current number one Marius Müller is one of five players around whom the S04 squad of the future should be built.
Despite his impressive performances in Belgium, getting past him will be a difficult task. Heekeren himself describes the competition for the Schalke goal as “healthy”. Everyone gets along with Müller, he is a funny guy and always in a good mood.
Ralf Fährmann also always has a good saying up his sleeve. Michael Langer, on the other hand, is like a father figure. What they all have in common is that they are significantly older than Heekeren. The future at Schalke Tor could actually belong to the Xanten native. However, it remains unclear when it will begin.