Reus gushing about Gotze

Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus has described team-mate Mario Gotze as an exceptional player.

The 23-year-old believes his Gotze has proved his quality over the past couple of years, on the back of a sparkling display as Dortmund ran out 4-1 winners over Ajax on Wednesday and sealed their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

“There is not much you need to say about Mario Gotze. He is an exceptional player,” he told Bundesliga.com.

“He did not only demonstrate that in Amsterdam, but has been proving that over a long period of time. It is a lot of fun to play alongside him, but you have to praise the whole team.”

But although he was happy to salute Gotze for his individual performance, Reus was not so keen to talk about his own efforts.

“When and how I score is something I don’t think about. It is also not important. What is important is that we win as a team and put in a good performance, and that is what happened in Amsterdam,” he added.

“It was a very difficult game, even if the result does not reflect that. We kept a really tight line in front of goal and let very little through. Up front we were incisive, though slightly fortunate to go in at half-time 3-0 up.

“Qualification hasn’t really sunk in yet. But it is definitely something special to qualify for the Round of 16 by finishing top of a group that includes the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.”

Dortmund will resume Bundesliga action when they face Mainz on Saturday.