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Giovanni Reyna’s manager, Gregg Berhalter, has sprung to his defense, stating once again that the midfielder is a player of “unquestionable” and “amazing” quality. Reyna played just 38 Premier League minutes in three games after joining Nottingham Forest on loan from Bundesliga powerhouse Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window.

Despite having little domestic playing time, Reyna—the son of former Sunderland and Manchester City midfielder Claudio—was called up to the USMNT by Berhalter during this international break. From the bench on Thursday, he had a big impact, setting up Coventry City forward Haji Wright twice in extra time as they defeated Jamaica 3-1 in a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal.

Reyna, who is only 21 years old, has an outstanding record for his nation. In addition to his 25 caps, he has seven goals and five assists to date. On Monday, when they play Mexico in the Nations League final, he is expected to play more minutes. Following that, the US prepared for this summer’s Copa America, which Reyna hopes to compete in.

Reyna’s national manager, Berhalter, has firmly backed his ability despite his lack of playing time for Forest, who are currently in the relegation zone after losing points earlier this month. Berhalter also dismissed the notion that Reyna may have been lucky to be selected due to his current circumstances at Forest, something he hopes to rectify under Nuno Espirito Santo upon his return.

Though he was allowed to leave Dortmund halfway through the season, Berhalter did acknowledge that Reyna had taken some time to adjust to his new life in England. Nevertheless, he still had faith in Reyna to get through this “tough” phase at the City Ground.

“I think I heard somewhere or read somewhere, ‘Why did Gio get called in the camp?'” , asked Berhalter. “Well, I believe he demonstrated why he was summoned back. Outstanding potential and quality, and for us, it’s about helping him get through the challenging transition to the Premier League. He is without doubt a quality man. He has a talent that not many players have, and it’s obvious that he deserves to play for this squad when you watch the plays he made on the second goal and—perhaps most importantly—the ball that he wins and then passes.”