Kenyan midfielder Linton Maina had an outstanding week after providing two assists in the UEFA Europa Conference League and snatched a point for his FC Koln side over the weekend leaving his coach Steffen Baumgart impressed.Maina had a challenging start to life at Koln since making the move from 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96 but has regained his form after recent decent performances.Wanyama ranked the strongest player in MLSThe 23-year-old provided two assists in the 4-2 win over Slovacko in the Conference League before scoring a late equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Bochum in the Bundesliga.Koln head coach Steffen Baumgart revealed that Maina’s form does not come as a surprise to him adding that he will be handed more game time in the future.“Linton is a young player who is developing very well at the moment.That’s why we’re going to continue to do it in such a way that the trainer makes decisions that come as a surprise to you, but not to me. The lineup on Thursday only surprised you.##NAJAVA_MECA_6660734##Linton’s development is such that he’ll get more and more into the game, he’ll get more and more minutes, he’ll also start playing more and more. We develop the boys,” says Baumgart.Maina who is born to a Kenyan father and a German mother is still eligible to feature for Harambee Stars having never played for the senior German national team.Baumgart went on to reveal that Maina is below Florain Kainz in the pecking order and can learn a thing or two from the winger as he continues to develop.Kenyan international gets new coach in South Africa“With Linton it’s very clear that I don’t want him to be tickled and doesn’t need to be tickled. But he has a player like Florian Kainz in front of him. It is clear to everyone that Kainz is an outstanding player who hits good standards, is important for our game and bring calm,” added Baumgart.
