Donovan backed to make his mark

Landon Donovan jogs during a Bayern training session at Zabeel training ground in Dubai on Jan 3.

The Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann insists that the US international Landon Donovan has not joined the Bundesliga club simply to make up the numbers. Donovan signed for Bayern on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy until mid-March and could make his debut on Saturday in a friendly against Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi. Klinsmann is convinced he will have a big part to play in the German champions' assault on three trophies this season. Bayern are currently joint top of the Bundesliga and in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal (German Football Federation Cup) and the Champions League. "We are all excited about him," Klinsmann said of Donovan on the club's website. "He will make appearances in friendly matches, the DFB-Pokal and in the Bundesliga. "He wants to show everybody responsible here, including me, that he is a player for FC Bayern. He has what it takes to make it." The American, 26, is no stranger to the Bundesliga, having played seven matches for Bayer Leverkusen in the off-season to Major League Soccer at the start of his career, but now he wants to leave his mark after failing to make the breakthrough the first time around.

"It will be hard because (Miroslav) Klose and (Luca) Toni are in good form," he admitted. "My job will be to make things hard for the coach. FC Bayern is a huge opportunity for me." Donovan, who has 105 caps for his country, spent 10 days on trial with Bayern in December, but has been training in earnest since Sunday, when the team arrived for a midseason training camp in Dubai. *PA Sport