The talented youngsters have the potential to reach the highest levels of the game if they work at it, according to their team-mate
Christian Pulisic and Jadon Sancho have the potential to be among the world’s best wingers, according to Borussia Dortmund team-mate Axel Witsel.
Pulisic has been seen as one of his club’s, and football’s, brightest prospects over the past few years and has been linked with moves to sides in the Premier League and Spain.
But the American international has been eclipsed this season by Sancho, as the England teenager has already delivered four goals and added six assists in the Bundesliga, as well as chipping in a goal and assist in the Champions League.
Article continues below
Editors' Picks
Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have already played his final game for Inter Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that his Man Utd career is far from over
The production has helped Dortmund to the top of both their Champions League group and the Bundesliga.
Witsel, who came to Dortmund this season after a year and a half in the Chinese Super League with Tianjin Quanjian, is impressed with how the young players and new additions are playing so far for the club, with special attention paid to the talented duo.
“We have a lot of new players and the way we are playing right now, usually it takes more time,” he told ESPN. “I cannot explain why we are doing really well and this is good for us, and we will of course do our best to keep going like this.
“The coach, the message he gives to us, everybody listens to him, and this is important. The way we play now on the pitch is because of the players but also the message the coach gives everyday in training.
“[Pulisic and Sancho are] young but really talented. If they keep going like this, they can be — I will not say the best winger — but they can become one of, because they’re really talented, but they need to keep working hard, and I hope we will keep them for a few years.”
Dortmund struggled last season, going through two head coaches in Peter Bosz and Peter Stoger en route to a somewhat disappointing campaign.
This season has seen a reversal in those fortunes with the club looking a strong possibility to threaten Bayern Munich’s dominance of the league.
And Witsel believes new manager Lucien Favre has played a big role of their sustained success in the early going, always trying to find ways to improve their performance even in victory.
“Even when we play really good, on the video when we do a meeting, he always speaks about the things we didn’t do good,” he said.
“You receive the ball from the right side, for example. He wants you to control with your left [foot], and pass with your right so you don’t lose time. If you control with your right, you need to maybe take another touch and then play. It’s small details but in the end it’s really important.”
With Dortmund holding a four-point lead over Bayern at the top of the table, this weekend’s Der Klassiker could prove extremely important in BVB’s attempt to break their rivals hold on the Bundesliga.
Witsel is confident his team can come away with the three points at home in the this clash, so long as his team-mates are ready for a battle.
“Why not?” he said. “In football everything is possible, so why not?
“Against Bayern if you want to win then you have to be on your top level, and if everybody is ready — 100 percent physically, technically and playing the football we are doing now — we can beat them.”