..::Football III::..

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Khedira undergoes knee surgery

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has undergone surgery on a knee problem.

The Germany international is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, but has also now received treatment on his left knee.

Khedira missed most of last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, before suffering a strain in the other at the World Cup earlier this year.

A Real statement released on Wednesday read: "Sami Khedira, who is currently out injured with a left hamstring problem, has undergone an arthroscopic revision on his left knee.

"The procedure went successfully and was conducted by Dr Ulrich Boenisch at the Hessingpark Clinic in Augsburg with the supervision of Dr Jesus Olmo.

"The player will continue to be treated by the Sanitas Real Madrid Medical Services in the next few days."

Khedira's current hamstring problem has caused consternation between Madrid and Germany due to a dispute over where the 27-year-old first picked up the problem.

Real host local rivals and Spanish champions Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.

 

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Arsenal star Ramsey calms injury fears

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is confident that he will not miss any action after being taken off with an injury while on Wales duty.

After appearing to slip on the 3G pitch in opponents Andorra's National Stadium, the Gunners star was withdrawn in stoppage time.

Wales manager Chris Coleman was hopeful after the game that Ramsey had no suffered serious injury from the incident and the 23-year-old expects to be in the mix to face Manchester City on Saturday.

"I'll be alright," Ramsey told BBC Sport. "The pitch was very hard. There's no give in it so I rolled my ankle a bit.

"Hopefully it will be nothing and I'll be available for Saturday. These are the games you want to play in and I'm looking forward to it."

The playing surface was the subject of serious criticism after Wales's come-from-behind 2-1 victory on Tuesday and Ramsey added his voice to the chorus.

"I don't know how you could play football on that pitch, to be honest," he said. "Normally we play quick and play the ball on the floor, playing around teams, but we couldn't do that. It was bobbly so it was very difficult.

"The main thing is we came here and won. Now we can move on and play on grass next time."

 

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Manchester United can still win the title - Young

Manchester United can still win the Premier League title despite their poor start to the season, claims winger Ashley Young.

Louis van Gaal's reign at Old Trafford has got off to an unimpressive start, with United taking just two points from their three top-flight fixtures against Swansea City, Sunderland and Burnley, while also succumbing to an embarrassing 4-0 League Cup defeat at third-tier MK Dons.

But Van Gaal has excited fans by splashing the cash on the likes of Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao in the transfer window and Young warns the club's rivals that they have a history of bouncing back from slow starts.

"In previous seasons when we haven't started the season so well, we've gone on to win the league," the former Aston Villa man told Inside United.

"People have written us off already but everyone here knows you don't write off a club like United.

"People can say what they want but internally we all know exactly what we're striving to do, what goals we've set and what we want to achieve.

"There is no point panicking after a handful of games - it's obviously been disappointing but you have to take the positives from the games we've had.

"I definitely think things are going to turn for us and I would say to the fans there is nothing to worry about, we're going to come good."

Van Gaal again goes in search of his first win as United boss at home to QPR on Sunday.

 

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Suarez could make Barcelona bow against Real Madrid on October 25

Luis Suarez has been cleared to make his Barcelona debut in the Clasico on October 25.

Barcelona will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to face rivals Real Madrid, with the eagerly-awaited game scheduled to kick off at 18:00CET.

Uruguay international Suarez was hit with a four-month ban from all football-related activity by Fifa for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during their respective nations' World Cup clash in Natal on June 24.

The then-Liverpool striker's initial appeal was rejected by Fifa but he was ultimately cleared to train with new club Barcelona by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who upheld the four-month suspension but ruled that that it would run from the day of the offence, thus clearing the player to return to action on October 25.

As it stands, the forward is now in line to make his Barca bow 18 hours after the conclusion of his suspension against Carlo Ancelotti's side, with the club also confirming the news on their official website.

Suarez, who left Anfield for Camp Nou for a reported €94 million, has only made one previous appearance for his new club, against Club Leon in a pre-season friendly.

 

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Hummels blasts Bayern's "calculated" attacks on Dortmund

Mats Hummels has accused Bayern Munich of repeatedly making "calculated" attempts to "weaken or unsettle" Borussia Dortmund.The defender came through the youth team ranks in Bavaria before leaving for BVB in 2009, after a year on loan at Signal Iduna Park.

However, despite his close ties with Bayern, he is appalled by what he feels are deliberate and underhanded attempts to destabilise Dortmund, citing Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's recent comments on Marco Reus' buy-out clause as a case in point.
"Bayern have had difficulties for us for years, which is why they try to weaken or unsettle us," the Germany international told Transfermarkt."Look at the way Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently betrayed the alleged contract details of Marco Reus - such statements are calculated."But the fact that Bayern deals with us is actually the greatest praise."

Hummels also feels that Dortmund, who won successive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, believes that Jurgen Klopp's side have upset Bayern with their on-field excellence and argues that they would have claimed even more trophies at their rivals' expense had it not been for poor officiating.

"What if we had had the luck of the referee on our side in the Champions League final [in 2013 when Dante controversially avoided a red card] and the DFB Pokal final [last season when Dortmund had a fair goal not given] - and not Bayern?""I think they know that these two victories were lucky and that they could have been very different."

Hummels admitted that he could easily still be at Bayern today had fate not intervened - but insisted that leaving the Allianz Arena was the key moment in his career to date."If Bayern had not bought Breno in 2007 for €12 million, I would not have left," he argued.

"But that's the way football is sometimes: I was practically forced towards happiness. It was the best thing that could have happened to me."Consequently, while Hummels has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona in recent times, he has no intention of leaving Dortmund, which is precisely why he insisted against having a buy-out clause in his contract.

"I wanted to set an example with the extension I signed and it will run for five years until 2017."

 

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Hazard: Costa and Fabregas have eased pressure on me

Chelsea star Eden Hazard says that the arrivals of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have eased the pressure on him.

The Blues splashed over £60 million to prise the Spain international pair away from La Liga and have already seen a return on their investment. Costa has scored four goals – including a double against Everton last time out – while Fabregas has provided four assists.

And Hazard believes that his new team-mates can take the club to the next level, following a trophyless 2013-14.

"It's true they're the best players. Costa can score every game and Cesc is one of the best midfielders in the world," Hazard, who scored 17 goals in all competitions last season, told the club's official website.

"Cesc can score as well and make good assists, just like the first game against Burnley where he made a beautiful pass for Andre Schurrle. It's very important for the team and he can help us win.

"Last season I scored a lot of goals and maybe this season I can make a lot more passes forward because Costa is one of the best and he can score. It's my job to score but it's also my job to make assists as well. I can now concentrate on assists.

"I'm ready to be better than last season. When I'm on the pitch I try to give my best.

"The new players have settled in very good. I enjoy playing with the best players in the squad and I'm very happy. We have a very competitive team and we want more than last season. Last season we played good but we didn't win any trophies so we want more.

"We can win four trophies and I hope we can compete in the two cups, the Premier League and Champions League for a long time throughout the year."

Chelsea also spent £16m to acquire Filipe Luis from Atletico Madrid but the left-back has yet to dislodge Cesar Azpilicueta from the starting XI and Hazard believes that it is "important" that the Spaniard plays behind him on the left flank.

"I have Azpi behind me and he helps me when I attack or have to defend," the Belgian observed. "Off the pitch we are very close friends because he can speak French and understands everything.

"It is important for me to play with him because I know how he plays. I played against him when he was in Marseille and it was always a tough game. I think he can reach the level of being one of the best right- or left-backs in the world."

 

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Manchester United chief Woodward heralds new era as club announce record revenue

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has predicted "the start of a new chapter" at Old Trafford after announcing the club's 2014 fiscal results.

United reported a record annual revenue of €538.4 million to June 30 2014, an increase of 19 per cent, and also revealed profits of €29.6m for the year.

The results, coupled with the signings of Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria, Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo - although only Herrera appeared in this year's figures - have excited Woodward, who has backed Louis van Gaal to steer the club back to the pinnacle of English football.

"We are very proud of the results achieved in fiscal year 2014 as we once again generated record revenues," he said in a statement.

"With Louis van Gaal at the helm as manager, and the recent signing of some of the world's leading players to further strengthen our squad, we are very excited about the future and believe it's the start of a new chapter in the club's history."

Van Gaal has won seven league titles in his distinguished career and Woodward has hailed the modus operandi of the Dutchman, who also guided the Netherlands to third place at the 2014 World Cup.

"Louis' footballing philosophy fits very well with Manchester United and he has an impressive track record of success throughout his career, winning league titles with every club he has managed," he added.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

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Van Gaal told he can spend again in January as Manchester United announce record turnover

Louis van Gaal has been given the green light to carry on spending as Manchester United announce a record turnover of up to €535 million and a profit of around €51m in their latest set of financial results.

The accounts for the year ending June 2014 do not take into account the club-record €75m signing of Angel Di Maria or the late August captures of Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao on loan.

United's commercial deals, including a €66m-a-year shirt sponsorship deal with Chevrolet that started this summer and a 10-year kit agreement with Adidas worth €93m-a-year that kicks in next year, mean the 20-times Premier League champions are able to withstand the cost of a season outside of Europe's elite.

Real Madrid announced last week that their annual revenue has soared to €598m, the highest mark for any club in the world. But even the Spanish giants and fellow big-hitter Barcelona cannot rival the fresh commercial deals in place at Old Trafford.

United have spent in excess of €187m this summer on new signings, including the British record signing of Di Maria.

Sources have told Goal that United could have even afforded to have spent €250m on transfers and have the finances in place to buy a player to the equivalent value of Di Maria every year for the next decade.

Further spending is expected to take place in the January market as Van Gaal is given further licence to continue his radical overhaul of a squad that failed so dismally under David Moyes last season and has begun the current campaign in equally uncertain fashion.

The annual results should also include details of pay-offs to former manager Moyes and his coaching team, but the figures will not reflect any financial losses incurred from failing to qualify for Europe for this season.

It is believed Moyes was given a €4.3m pay-off, equivalent to a year's salary, and a similar sum was handed to his backroom team of Phil Neville, Steve Round, Jimmy Lumsden and Chris Woods.

United’s surprise drop from champions in 2012-13 to seventh-place last season saw the club suffer a reduction of £8.4m in Premier League prize money last season – a campaign which Woodward described as "very disappointing" when addressing investors following the publication of quarterly accounts in May.

The absence of Champions League football this season is worth a minimum €31m, and probably at least €12.5m more, meaning the Moyes regime cost the club in the region of €62.2m compared to the heights usually reached under Sir Alex Ferguson.

 

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Grande: Munir reminds me of Raul

Spain assistant coach Toni Grande says that the newly-capped Munir El Haddadi reminds him of a young Raul.The Barcelona youngster was sensationally called into the Roja squad last week as a replacement for the injured Diego Costa - despite having only played two Liga games for club side Barcelona.

However, the 19-year-old made his international debut as a late substitute in Monday night's Euro 2016 qualifier against Macedonia and Grande insists that the attacker is capable of emulating the achievements of a Real Madrid and Spain icon.“Munir reminds me of Raul at the beginning of his career," he told RadioBarcelona. "He has similar characteristics - and look how far Raul went.

“The first time I saw Munir live was this summer when he was playing for Barca in pre-season, although [Under-21 boss] Albert Celades had spoken very highly of him, so we knew what he was about.“With Munir we will make him aware of the difficulties of the challenge he faces. But he has a great future. It all depends on hard work."

Munir only broke into the Barcelona B team earlier this year but he starred during the senior squad's pre-season programme and marked his competitive debut for Luis Enrique's side with a goal in the season-opening win over Elche.

 

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Welbeck will shine at Arsenal, says Owen

Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen has tipped Danny Welbeck to shine at Arsenal.

Welbeck completed his €20 million move to the Emirates Stadium from Louis van Gaal's side on transfer deadline day last week.

The Manchester-born 23-year-old is a graduate of United's youth system, but struggled to cement his position in the Old Trafford starting XI after making his debut in September 2008.

Welbeck was England's match-winner in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier on Monday, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win in Switzerland after starting in his favoured centre-forward position.

And Owen, who played with Welbeck at United, expects his former team-mate to go from strength to strength under the tutelage of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

"He has always had doubters, but I have always been a big fan of Danny's," Owen said.

"I trained with him for three years [in] my time at Manchester United and he is a player - he can play, no question about it.

"People will complain about his goals ratio for Manchester United, but you try getting in the side.

"I had a go trying at centre-forward with Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez] - there are so many good players at United.

"And a lot of the time when Danny did play, he would play out on the left or out on the right and different positions.

"As his England career would suggest, when he plays down the middle he can certainly score a goal and I think he is a pretty good buy for Arsenal."

Welbeck is in line to make his Arsenal debut when his new club host Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.

 

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Klopp: Dortmund can cope without Reus

Jurgen Klopp believes Borussia Dortmund can cope without injured star player Marco Reus for four weeks.

The Germany international was left in agony after being felled by Charlie Mulgrew in the dying seconds of his country's Euro 2016 qualifier with Scotland on Sunday and it was initially feared that the attacker had aggravated the same ankle problem that ruled him out of this summer's World Cup.However, subsequent scans have revealed only strained ligaments, meaning Reus will be able to return to action in a month.

"It could have been worse," Klopp told Bild. "I am, of course, very sorry for Marco, but four weeks will go quickly."We just have to work now and score without him."Dortmund's hopes of doing just that appeared to have been jeopardised by a hip injury suffered by striker Ciro Immobile during Italy's 2-0 win over Norway.

However, even though the club's star summer signing was taken from the field on a stretcher, Azzurri team doctor Enrico Castellacci insisted that Immobile had already made a rapid recovery from the blow."Immobile suffered a bruised hip and, at first, he could barely move," he told Rai Sport.

"But after a few minutes he was already doing much better."Dortmund return to Bundesliga action against Freiburg on Saturday before kicking off their Champions League campaign with a meeting with Arsenal at Signal Iduna Park on September 16.

Reus is also likely to miss subsequent domestic clashes with Mainz, Stuttgart and Schalke, as well as the October 1 Champions League trip to Belgium to face Anderlecht.

 

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Hernandez: I've already seen why Ronaldo is better than Messi

New Real Madrid signing Javier Hernandez says he has already been convinced that Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi.

The Mexico international only joined the European champions on a season-long loan from Manchester United just before the close of the summer transfer window.
However, Hernandez, who moved to Old Trafford a year after Ronaldo left for Madrid, says that he has already been blown away by what the Portuguese can do in training.

"Without a doubt, Ronaldo is the best," the 26-year-old striker told El Chiringuito."In the little time I have been here, I have seen why he is the best in the world."It is not only what he does in games so well but on a day-to-day basis."For me, Cristiano is the best. Messi is there too; after Cristiano, there is the Argentine."

However, 'Chicharito' admitted that one player still stands above all others, as far as he is concerned."My idol is Ronaldo Nazario de Lima, 'The Phenomen'," he enthused."I've never had the chance to meet him, so hopefully one day I can get a picture with him!"

Of course, Brazil legend Ronaldo spent five years at Madrid, and Hernandez is hoping to make just as big an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu this season to persuade the Liga outfit to make the deal permanent next summer."I was in the best team in Mexico [Chivas], the best team in England [United] and now I'm in the best team in the world," he mused.

"I must be professional, as this is a great opportunity, but I still belong to Manchester and do not know if I will have to go back."

 

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Mourinho is a legend and a role model - Monk

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is a legend and a figure for young coaches to look up to, according to Swansea City manager Garry Monk.

The coach is one of just four coaches to win league titles in four different countries, having guided Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid to domestic glory and winning two Champions League titles along the way with the Portuguese and Italian giants.

And Monk, who is in his first full season as a manager, says the 51-year-old is a role model to young coaches like himself and dismissed claims of animosity between the two of them after the Chelsea boss didn't shake hands with him in their last meeting.

"He didn't shake hands with me after the last game, but I am probably not the only one and it's not a big deal," he told reporters ahead of the match between the two sides on Saturday.

"I like to shake hands and finish things well at the end of a game, and of course I will shake his hand this weekend.

"He is a top manager, someone who is hugely respected in football. He has won titles at the highest level and is in the top bracket - he has legendary status as a manager.

"He is winning things on a regular basis and he has managed some of the top clubs in Europe. He is someone for someone like me to look up to."

Before his snub by Mourinho after the Blues' 1-0 win over Swansea in April, Monk had taken umbrage with the actions of Chelsea players and staff in the build-up to Chico's red card.

Explaining the situation, Monk added: "After Chico made the foul, there was a delay of around 20 or 30 seconds and it seemed the referee was not going to show the second yellow.

"Then their players surrounded the ref and their staff surrounded the fourth official and the second yellow card came.

"But Phil Dowd told me afterwards that he was just giving himself time to think and I accepted that. I have a lot of respect for him."

Swansea and Chelsea are the only two teams in the Premier League to have won all three of their opening matches.

 

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Life at Barcelona is amazing - Halilovic

Barcelona teenager Alen Halilovic says he is loving life with Luis Enrique's side and is delighted at being named in their Champions League squad.The 18-year-old Croatia international joined Barca earlier this year from Dinamo Zagreb and has started playing for the club's B team in the Segunda Division.

Halilovic says the progress he has made so far has been as good as could have been expected and insists cannot wait to keep improving."It is amazing, simply amazing at Barcelona. It is everything we had agreed, right down to the tiniest detail," he told Jutarnji List.

"Before I arrived, we outlined how I would train and progress and everything is going exactly according to that plan."I feel great and have nothing but great things to say about my time at Barcelona so far."

The midfielder believes the fact he has been included in Barcelona's Champions League squad shows they have great faith in him."In doing so they have shown how strongly I figure in their plans," Halilovic continued. Now it is my turn to train hard to justify the faith that everyone at Barcelona has placed in my talent.

"Ivan Rakitic helps me a lot. He sorts me out whenever I need something."

 

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Zabaleta expects to be fit for Arsenal clash

Pablo Zabaleta is hoping to be fit for Manchester City's Premier League clash with Arsenal on Saturday.

Manuel Pellegrini's men visit the Emirates Stadium for their fourth match of the season looking to bounce back from a shock 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Stoke City last time out.

Zabaleta picked up a knock in a challenge with Arsenal's Lukas Podolski during Argentina's 4-2 win over Germany last week but is confident of making a full recovery ahead of City's trip to north London.

"It was a hard tackle and I still have some discomfort but it’s getting better each day," he told reporters. "I’ve been doing some running on my own earlier in the week but I'll be fine for the game.

"I still have a couple more days before we play and by then I should be fully fit."

Zabaleta has made just one appearance for City so far this season, playing the full 90 minutes as the Premier League champions beat Liverpool 3-1.

 

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Van Ginkel: AC Milan wanted me for a long time

Marco van Ginkel says AC Milan had been trying to sign him for a long time before eventually securing his signature in the summer.The Netherlands midfielder has not been able to secure a regular place in the Chelsea first team after spending the majority of last season out injured and joined the Italian side on loan for a season on deadline day.

Van Ginkel says the Serie A club have been long-term admirers, but hinted that he was still hoping for a future at Stamford Bridge after no purchase option was included in the deal."AC Milan wanted me for a long time and did everything to get me," the 21-year-old said to Milan Channel. "That is good for a player to know. We play with two attacking midfielders and a defensive one. I think I am more of an attacking one.

"I think Italian football suits me. Milan is a great club, even though we won't play in the Champions League this year, so I am fine here."Right now I am focused entirely on Milan, but I'm happy with the fact that Chelsea didn't put an option to buy in the loan."

Milan face an away trip to play Parma on Sunday having impressively defeated Lazio in their opening game.

 

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Llorente: Allegri is a winner

Fernando Llorente insists new Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is a winner and expects the Turin side to enjoy another successful season under his leadership.The Spanish striker was a Scudetto winner in his first season in Italy, scoring 16 Serie A goals to help Juve to their third consecutive title after signing on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao.

Coach Antonio Conte left the club in the summer and was controversially replaced by former AC Milan boss Allegri, but Llorente believes the club’s era of success will continue despite the coaching change."Allegri has not been here for long, but you can already tell he is a great coach," the 29-year-old told Sky Sport Italia.

"He has a winning spirit and he will certainly be able to win with Juve too."Allegri is a coach with a very clear idea of his football and he is transmitting that well to the squad."

Llorente believes fellow countryman Alvaro Morata - who joined the club from Real Madrid this summer to bolster an attacking group that also contains Carlos Tevez - will be a man to watch in 2014-15."Morata is a player with a lot of mobility and he is very quick to finish his goalscoring opportunities too," said Llorente.

"He can do well in any attacking role and I think he will really make his mark."
Juventus host Udinese on Saturday before kicking off their Champions League campaign with a home tie against Malmo next week.

 

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Alvarez will give us something special - Poyet

Gus Poyet is looking forward to seeing Ricky Alvarez make his Sunderland debut against Tottenham on Saturday after his move from Inter.

The Argentine forward the Black Cats on a a season-long loan before the close of the transfer window, having fallen out of favour at San Siro under Walter Mazzarri.

Alvarez scored four goals from midfield in Serie A last season and Poyet is convinced the 26-year-old will bring a new level of quality in attacking positions for his side.

"Ricky is an exciting player to watch," the Uruguayan told reporters. "He is technically gifted and can do things with the ball that the rest maybe cannot with that last pass, assist or option.

"Sometimes when a team drops deep it becomes difficult to break them down but he has the ability to break those lines and give us something special.

"Ricky will play well, maintain possession and if we make sure he gets the ball in the right area he will be great to watch because he will do so many things."

Sebastian Coates also arrived at the Stadium of Light on loan from Liverpool and Poyet has backed his compatriot to show his quality after struggling to break into the first team at Anfield.

The Sunderland boss added: "When Seb came to England I said that he had all the attributes to be a perfect centre-back, he has the size, the ability, the aggression and the commitment, but sometimes when you go to a club things change very quickly.

"That happened at Liverpool with the manager and then he got an injury so he slowly found himself out of the team, but it is a good challenge and we will help each other – we will help him to come back to the international level he was before and he will help us be competitive."

 

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Dortmund will get better - Klopp

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has warned his new-look team need time to gel fully.

After losing Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich, Klopp added firepower to his squad in the shape of Adrian Ramos, Shinji Kagawa, Ji Dong-won and Ciro Immobile - as well as signing defender Matthias Ginter and securing a permanent return for playmaker Nuri Sahin.A season-opening 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen went a long way to proving Klopp's point, but signs look better after a 3-2 win over Augsburg before the international break.

Immobile is set to shake off an injury in order to lead the line against Freiburg on Saturday and Klopp picked last season's Serie A top-scorer as a perfect example of where improvements can still be made by his team.Klopp said of the Italy striker: "He's a real goalscorer.

"He scored a nice goal [against Netherlands last Thursday] and that will be good for him. But our only problem is the pace in which developments obviously have to happen in football.

"You always get asked about a new player in a new club after a really short time of being able to train together, that's our only problem. Everything else is fine. "I hope that in three years we'll look back and no one remembers the first five or six games. He needs time to integrate in this team; we need time to develop our team play.

"Now we could have had the time for it, but now Marco Reus is injured. "Of course we've got Shinji Kagawa as well but he hasn't played with the team yet. "Everything is far from perfect but we've got to stabilise our game while we collect results. Most likely we have to do that with a new player in the starting line-up who will have to reclaim his self-assurance as well.

"That will be hard. When Ciro came back he seemed very relaxed, I think he was very glad his injury wasn't as bad as feared. The bruise hurts a lot at the beginning but it heals quite fast."