Niko Kovac responds to discussions linking Mats Hummels with Borussia Dortmund return | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac found himself questioned about reports linking Mats Hummels with a BVB return on Friday. Kovac spoke at his Friday pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s showdown with Bayern Munich. Hummels – who actually played for both clubs – served under Kovac during his time in charge at Bayern during the 2018/19 Bundesliga campaign.

“A lot about this has already been said and written,” Kovac noted with a wide grin on his face. “Mats is an extraordinarily good footballer who has achieved a lot in his life. He also means a lot to the BVB. I’ve heard a lot about this but, quite honestly, I’m staring down a meeting with Bayern. The Club World Cup is still a long way away. We’ve got six Bundesliga games left.

“My relationship with him personally was quite good,” Kovac continued as he referenced the season they spent working together with Bayern. “I had to make decisions sometimes. Naturally, when he didn’t get a chance to play he wasn’t happy. I still think it always worked well between us.”

Hummels made 32 appearances across all competitions during his year serving under Kovac. The two captured the league title, the DFB Pokal, and the DFL Super Cup that year before Hummels returned to Dortmund the following summer. Kovac got the axe as Bayern trainer ten games into the next season.

Hummels has made 18 appearances across all competitions for AS Roma this year in what will be the final club season of his career. The always outspoken 36-year-old hasn’t exactly gone easy on Dortmund in this tumultuous year for his ex-club.

It nevertheless stands to reason that club and player can patch things up for a brief farewell tour during the coming Club World Cup. Whether or not Kovac remains in charge of the team at that time remains to be seen.

GGFN | Peter Weis