Klaas-Jan Huntelaar tipped to reproduce Ibrah’s magic for Schalke

Former Schalke striker Youri Mulder says that returning club legend Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, 37, looks in similar shape to Ibrahimovic and could produce the magic as well.

Given the Dutchman’s record of 126 goals in 240 appearances during his first, seven-year spell in Gelsenkirchen, it’s easy to see why the Royal Blues – currently bottom of the Bundesliga – have called on Huntelaar’s help again. The Dutchman left the club in the summer of 2017, but he has since continued to score regularly in a second stint with Ajax.

Huntelaar registered 45 Eredivisie goals in three-and-a-half seasons to be precise, with one of those campaigns abandoned prematurely when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. This season he was used mostly from the bench, but the new Schalke No.21 still scored seven goals in the Dutch top flight before returning to Germany this month.

Mulder, another former Netherlands international who got 43 goals in 202 games for Schalke between 1993 and 2002, is convinced that Huntelaar still has what it takes.

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“When you look at the stats, Schalke are in a much better position in terms of scoring chances,” he told Spox. “That shows that they need a finisher. I’ve seen Huntelaar a lot over the last few years and he’s getting plenty of goals. Seven goals in 383 minutes [in the Dutch Eredivisie this season] speaks for itself. Of course it’s a weaker league, but he knows the Bundesliga very well and his goal scoring threat is undisputed.”