Kai Wagner was confined to the bench as a late season surge propelled Wurzburger Kickers to safety in 2019. The Red Shorts looked poise to plummet into the fourth tier in Germany until a run of just one defeat in six helped them beat the drop.
Kickers boss Michael Schiele had reverted to a rigid 4-4-2 system and entrusted captain Peter Kurzweg to occupy the left-back slot. Wagner had fallen out of favour and the prospect of playing in the Premier League was merely a distant dream.
Amidst the bleakness surrounding his future, Philadelphia Union were plotting his rescue mission in the background and Wagner hasn’t looked back since.
