Gotze's future at Dortmund in doubt

For a player who has only played 39 times in the past three seasons, it is perhaps no wonder why the future of Gotze at Dortmund is under much speculation.

The midfielder, who four years ago was playing for Bayern Munich and being hailed as a "boy wonder" by his international manager Joachim Low, has seen a decline in his fortunes since becoming a national hero against Argentina.

One factor for his decline could be the amount of pressure he was under after scoring that famous goal, which brushed over what had been a largely disappointing tournament up until his 88th minute introduction by Low. Over night, Gotze was propelled into being the hero of German football at the age of just 22, something for which his national team manager takes some responsability, after heaping praise on the player following the 2014 final.

The other crucial reason for Gotze's recent fortune has been injuries, especially suffering from a metabolic disorder which causes muscle weakness and fatigue which caused the player to spend five months in rehab.

On his return to the Dortmund line up, and with a switch to the No 10 role which he so enjoyed under Jurgen Klopp, Gotze seemed to have turned a corner under Peter Bosz. However, with a change in management at the Signal Iduna Park, Gotze found himself playing a deeper role in midfield.

The incoming manager at the club, Lucien Favre, managed to get the best out of Mario Balotelli over two years at Nice, and so Gotze may hope that staying at the club may bring a similar outcome for himself. 

Alternatively, there is speculation that Gotze could make a switch to the Premier League, where clubs such as Arsenal or Everton could benefit from the 26 year-old's talents.