EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Lambert advises £13m Burke to become ‘German’
PAUL LAMBERT is Scotland’s most successful football export to Germany.
Back in the summer of 1996, he took a gamble by quitting Motherwell and heading over to Borussia Dortmund for a trial.
Head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld took a shine to the Scotland midfielder, offered him a contract and, 10 months later, they celebrated winning the Champions League.
Now, 20 years on, another Scot is heading for the Bundesliga.
Winger Oliver Burke, 19, has joined RB Leipzig for a staggering £13m from Nottingham Forest, and has been tipped by many experts in the game to have a huge future.
Lambert backs that up, and feels Burke has the ability and mentality to cope with the different pressures a move abroad can present.
Lambert knows the set up at Leipzig very well, and is friendly with sporting director, Ralf Rangnick, and head coach, Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The former Aston Villa and Norwich City manager told The Sunday Post: “This is a great opportunity for Oliver and I’m sure he’ll grab it with both hands.
“He should improve as footballer in Germany. He is surrounded by a good coaching staff and fantastic facilities. The stadium is unbelievable, and holds 42,000.
“The training ground is also state-ofthe-art. I was over there a few weeks ago and was blown away by the set-up. I’m due back over before the end of the year.
“The Bundesliga is a great place to showcase your talent, and the fans will adore him if he turns on the style on a regular basis.
“Dougie Freedman spotted him in the Forest reserves and gave him his chance. I love to see that, so credit to Dougie for putting him into that pressured environment when he was so young.
“Burke is a tremendous talent. He is tall, powerful and has pace to burn. His all-round game is improving all the time.
“My teams came up against him when he played for Forest. I know for sure that four or five English Premier League sides fancied him, but Leipzig didn’t waste any time and snapped him up.
“Based on my own experience of being in Germany 20 years ago, I’d offer Oliver one or two pieces of advice.
“I’d absolutely encourage him to learn the language. That is of paramount importance. That will make life, on and off the park, so much easier.
“It’s also vital that he embraces the culture and fits in to the local lifestyle.
“He can’t live like he is over there on holiday for a few weeks. It’s important to immerse yourself in the way of life, when you eat, what you eat, that kind of thing.
“If the German people see you’re trying your best to live their way of life, they’ll warm to you and take you to their hearts.
“I hope the move works out for him, and I’m told he has a temperament where the size of the transfer fee will not bother him.
“It’s always great to see Scottish players getting the chance to play in the world’s top leagues and the chance to better themselves.
“I’m certain there will be plenty of goodwill towards him and everyone will be urging him on to be a success.
”When I won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, the feedback from people in Scotland was just brilliant. It really humbled me. They were delighted to see this wee Scotsman do so well and hold aloft the best trophy in club football.”
Burke’s attention will be on international matters at the moment, and he is expected to feature today for Gordon Strachan’s side away to Malta in the opening World Cup qualifier.
Lambert – who played for Scotland at the 1998 World Cup Finals – would love to see Burke given the opportunity to turn on the style in this campaign.
He said: “I wish Oliver well and hope this can be the start of a very positive chapter in his career.
“It should also be good news for the national team that he’s playing at this level in Germany and I’m sure he’ll have an important role to play for his country in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
“I hope he helps us qualify. We need players of his calibre in order to do so.”