Noah Engelbreth, Tim Schleinitz, Baris Kalayci and Jerome Scholz from the 1. FC Union Berlin U19 squad have been given licenced player contracts.

Leading players in their age group

Engelbreth, the 18-year-old central midfielder and captain of the A-Jugend, has been wearing the Union shirt since 2017, when he joined from VfB Fortuna Biesdorf. He has developed into a key player from the U17s to the U19s and has even added goalscoring to his numerous talents this season. In twelve junior Bundesliga games, the Berlin native has scored six, four of them from outside the box. He also scored in the 4-1 UEFA Youth League match win over SSC Napoli. The midfielder has played in all 18 matches this season and has played a major role in them reaching third place in the table.

Schleinitz, meanwhile, moved from DJK Schwarz-Weiß Neukölln to Köpenick at the age of six and has since passed through all Union’s youth departments. He missed the first half of the first half of this season due to injury, but then made an impressive return, scoring the opening goal in his first start, also against Napoli, to help his team to that historic three points in the UEFA Youth League. The 18-year-old has already trained with the professionals on numerous occasions and made his first appearance for Union's professional team this winter in a friendly against Arminia Bielefeld.

Scholz has been a valued part of the club for seven years having joined Union from BSV Eintracht Mahlsdorf in 2017 and developing into a regular at left-back. Scholz was in the starting eleven of the U19’s seven times this season until an injury disrupted his appearances. The left-footer contributed an assist and helped his team to a 4-0 away win at SV Werder Bremen. He also played the full 90 minutes in three UEFA Youth League matches and was also a key player in the home win over Napoli.

Since the start of 2019/20, Baris Kalayci has also been sporting the red and white of Union, having previously taken his first steps as a footballer at BFC Dynamo. Initially still active in the U17s, the two-time Turkish U19 international has also impressed in Union's oldest youth team from the start of this season. Baris has made 21 appearances for them so far and also took to the pitch in each of the six UEFA Youth League matches. In total, the 18-year-old has made 53 appearances so far, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists.