John Marshall:
Former Bayern Munich star Lothar Matthaus has advised Mario Gotze to cut his losses at the Allianz Arena and return to Borussia Dortmund.
Gotze left BVB for Bayern in 2013, but has struggled to live up to the high expectations and win over his critics at the Bavarians.
The playmaker has been heavily linked with a return to Dortmund in recent weeks, while Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in the 23-year-old, and Matthaus has urged Gotze to move back to the Signal Iduna Park.
“Gotze back to Dortmund would simply be a good fit,” Matthaus wrote in his column for Sport Bild.
“Our World Cup hero is a child of the Borussia Dortmund academy. He might have ruined it for some fans following his move to Bayern, but I feel he does not owe anyone an apology over his decision to go for a new challenge elsewhere.
“Things unfortunately didn’t pan out as everybody expected. But both Gotze and Dortmund know from each other what they bring to the table. He will soon win the fans over again after his first few goals for BVB.
“Would a return to Dortmund mean he has failed at Bayern? I think that would be harsh to say. He won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and he will win his fifth title in total if Bayern win it this season. These successes with Bayern, in which he had a hand, prove him right for joining them. But it’s also a fact that he has been unable to become a undisputed starter like Thomas Muller.
“The reason behind all this is not just Gotze’s quality or his mentality. The marriage between Gotze and Bayern was a misunderstanding right from the start.”
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