Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has stated that both Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Manchester United’s Ilkay Gundogan will be missed at the Bundesliga club this season.
The former Mainz tactician was quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News that Dortmund fans will have to accept that there are bigger clubs which can attract their star names and that club done everything in their power to keep hold of their star players.
United signed Mkhitaryan for £35.7 million last week while City signed Ilkay Gundogan for £20 million late last month. Dortmun also lost their captain Mats Hummels who departed for their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.
“I am no more disappointed about losing Mkhitaryan than about losing Mats and Ilkay. Of course, I was disappointed to see him go. I am a huge fan of Mkhitaryan,” Tuchel was quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.
“Three extremely important players have left us. We have lost three key men with the departure of Hummels, Gundogan and Mkhitaryan. They are three players of the highest level.
“We did everything within our powers to hold on to them. The offers were pushing our boundaries. We have to acknowledge that there are clubs higher in the food chain.
“The three players who have left have had an enormous influence on the team. They were examples for the others.”
Gundogan joined Dortmund from Nuremberg back in 2011 under the stewardship of Klopp and helped the Bundesliga giants reach the 2013 Champions League final.
The 25-year-old has been ruled out for the opening weeks of the Premier League due to a knee injury.
Gundogan provided seven assists and three goals in 40 appearances for Dortmund last season.
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