There was a time that many young men from Liverpool left home seeking new opportunities in Germany.



In the recession-hit 1980s, building sites from the Ruhr to the Rhine were introduced to the lilt of the Scouse accent and the graft and humour of its speakers. They would send their wages home by mail, to put food on their children’s plates.



In a different age, in different circumstances, Germany remains a place for pragmatic Brits seeking work.



Now come professional footballers — desperate to play the game they love. From Jadon Sancho and Mandela Egbo, to Reece Oxford and Ademola Lookman.



Add to that list 22-year-old Jonjoe Kenny. The right-back has made 40 appearances for Everton, the club he joined aged nine, but left for Bundesliga side Schalke in July on a season-long loan, with the aim of finding regular football.



It’s already going well. He sits down with The Athletic having just been named the Bundesliga’s...