Gotze continues wait for second Dortmund debut

Mario Gotze’s wait for a second Borussia Dortmund debut will continue after head coach Thomas Tuchel ruled the attacking midfielder out of their Bundesliga opener against Mainz.

The Germany international returned to Signal Iduna Park in the close-season after spending three seasons at Dortmund’s rivals Bayern Munich.

However, Gotze was not involved in the DFL-Supercup defeat to Bayern and an adductor injury meant he was absent for the DFB-Pokal win over Eintracht Trier.

And Gotze is once again unavailable when Dortmund start their latest attempt to end Bayern’s Bundesliga dominance.

“Mario Gotze has now fully trained,” Tuchel told a news conference. “He could play but we have decided that it is too early.” 

Matthias Ginter and Sven Bender are also absent having been part of the Germany team that achieved a silver medal at Rio 2016.

Tuchel confirmed full-back Marcel Schmelzer has been named captain, with previous skipper Mats Hummels having departed for Bayern at the end of last season.

“Marcel Schmelzer is the captain, which is a natural decision,” he added.

“He has a strong sense of responsibility and social skills.”