Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of Borussia Dortmund’s UEFA Champions League squad that was take on Sporting Lisbon due to "internal reasons". The 27-year-old watched on from the stands as his side ended up winning the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from the Gabon man's replacement, Adrian Ramos.
Both manager Thomas Tuchel and CEO Karl-Heinz Watzke cited his drop from the team as an “internal reason” and failed to clarify whether it was a for a disciplinary reason.
Speaking to the press after Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Sporting, Tuchel didn’t spill anything when he said, "It is an internal issue and will remain an internal issue."
CEO, Watzke said the same thing but confirmed that the former AC Milan youth product would be back in the squad to take on Bundesliga rivals Hamburg. "The internal reasons are exactly that, internal," Watzke said. "I will not say anything. But the good thing is he will be fresh against Hamburg. He will be back in the squad against Hamburg."
Aubameyang has been a sensational striker for Borussia Dortmund and has almost effortlessly replaced Robert Lewandowski at the club. This season, he’s scored 10 goals and assisted a further 2 in the 13 appearances both domestically and in Europe.
The reason his omission from the side garnered so much attention was because of the recent links to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Aubameyang has – in the past – admitted his love for Real Madrid and his desire to play there one day; those rumours were further fueled by the rumours that the Spanish club were also not happy with Karim Benzema’s contribution for the team.
With the Gabon international having signed a contract extension only last season, Real Madrid will have to break their bank to sign him anytime soon. He’s valued at around €60 million by the club but will surely raise their asking price should he ask for the transfer.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund aren't in a comfortable position in the Bundesliga themselves. They currently sit in sixth place eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich and have their next League game against Hamburg in the weekend.
But their biggest game of the season is on November 19th when they host Bayern Munich at the Westfalenstadion. Thomas Tuchel’s squad aren’t missing too many players due to injury but have yet to replicate the kind of form they showed at the start of the season.
More football news, analysis and features at Sportskeeda.com
