CHERRIES youngster Emerson Hyndman revealed his debt of gratitude to Jürgen Klinsmann and insisted the World Cup winner had played a key role in his fledgling career.

Hyndman was handed his senior United States debut by Klinsmann in September 2014, the then 18-year-old entering the fray for the final 23 minutes of a 1-0 friendly win over Czech Republic in Prague.

The Texan also came on at half-time during a friendly against Puerto Rico in May last year, playing his part in a 3-1 win under Klinsmann's charge.

And Hyndman explained how the hugely-respected German – replaced by Bruce Arena at the US helm 11 months ago – had given him the confidence to express himself on the pitch.

The midfielder told the Daily Echo: "I owe a lot to Jürgen Klinsmann. He gave me my first chance at a young age.

"I was a bit surprised by the call-up just because I hadn't played too many games for Fulham – I only had three professional games under my belt. But he welcomed me with open arms and it was a great experience, something I will never forget.

"He threw me on for the last 20 minutes against Czech Republic and all of a sudden I was playing for my nation.

"As a coach, he was very fitness-oriented and wanted people to be in the right positions and work hard. But he also gave you that confidence to go and do your thing within the team structure.

"For me, it was quite easy to come in and feel at home and I think sometimes with certain managers, you might not feel that way. They might keep themselves to themselves or be very team-oriented but he was very open and honest, so it was nice.

"I'm 21 years old but I've played under quite a few managers already and each one is a bit different. You learn their way and their style and it's just an adjustment game.

"You try to go with what they want and try to improve."

Hyndman, who may get game time when Carl Fletcher's Cherries travel to Cheltenham Town in the Central League tomorrow (1pm), is yet to feature for the United States under Arena.

But he is hopeful of forcing his way into the World Cup squad should his national team book their place in Russia with a win or a draw against Trinidad & Tobago in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Reflecting on his chances of returning to the set-up, Hyndman said: "I think I've got to be playing games, that is very important to get to senior level in the national team.

"The US is a competitive squad to get into so I think that's where my next step has to be – to get consistent games at a high level.

"Once that happens, I will definitely be looking to try to get into the squad."