Marco Reus

United's interest in taking Sancho to Old Trafford has been no secret, but Dortmund have been steadfast in their refusal to sell him for anything under their reported €120million (£108m) asking price.

Sancho is under contract until 2023 and Reus is delighted at the prospect of another campaign alongisde the former Manchester City youth player at Signal Iduna Park.

"For us it's great. We were all excited that he will stay at least one more year," Dortmund captain Reus told reporters. "Simply because he keeps on delivering goals and assists via which we will collect a lot of points."

Reus does not yet know the extent of Sancho's potential and is unwilling to say whether he has the promise to perform at the level of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"He's a crucial player for us and if he one day will be as big a player as the other two [Ronaldo and Messi] we will see.

"He simply needs time, a lot of experience, and there will be times where everything's not going that well and one will see how he will get through that.

"But I think he has got the necessary confidence and quality to succeed."

Dortmund face Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on Wednesday, having suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Sancho was extremely influential as Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga last season.

His 17 league goals trailed only Robert Lewandowski (34) and Timo Werner (28). Thomas Muller (21) was the lone player to have more assists than Sancho's 16 in the Bundesliga in 2019-20.

Timo Werner and Leroy Sane sealed a routine 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in World Cup qualifying Group J on Thursday, though the scoreline hardly reflected Germany's dominance.

After a trophy laden spell at Bayern, Flick left the Bavarian giants to take over as Germany boss, with Joachim Low leaving after Euro 2020.

Flick's team had 30 attempts in total, with seven hitting the target, and controlled 85.3 per cent of the possession.

Not one Liechtenstein player spent more time in Germany's half than their own, while all of the visitors' outfielders had average positions within the minnows' territory.

It nevertheless took some inspiration from youngster Jamal Musiala to unlock the door in the 41st minute, as he teed up Werner, before Sane capped an impressive individual display with a crisp finish late on.

"It took us too long to get our first goal, but it's a process," Flick told RTL. "I won't let this first game ruffle my feathers, there's a long road ahead and we will make our way down it.

"I told the team before the match that Liechtenstein know how to defend well. We created chances, but our opponent defended really well, with 11 players in their area. 

"I can't fault the team at all, they tried, they put the opponent under pressure, but in the end we did not take our chances enough. 

"But I'm positive, we won, and on Sunday we continue against Armenia. We have a long way to go, this was the start and we know where we want to go."

As well as handing Musiala – who he coached at Bayern – a first international start, Flick also introduced teenager Florian Wirtz for his Germany debut, the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder becoming the third-youngest player to appear for the national team since 1945.

While Flick blooded fresh faces, including full-back Ridle Baku, he also turned to the experienced Marco Reus, with Borussia Dortmund's captain recalled after opting out of Euro 2020.   "Our opponents were more or less parked in front of their own goal, so it was very hard to get through," said Reus, who came on as a second-half substitute.   "Our final pass wasn't quite there today, but we can take the three points and go again on Sunday."   Flick's second game in charge sees Germany host Group J leaders Armenia in Stuttgart.

The Ivory Coast striker joined Borussia Dortmund from Ajax ahead of this season but is yet to feature for the Bundesliga side after discovering a malignant tumour during pre-season testing in July.

Haller underwent two surgeries and chemotherapy, with Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke stating the striker could return after the mid-season break.

The 28-year-old was present as Dortmund returned to training for the first time after the World Cup last week, although he was being "carefully introduced".

In comments to the media on Monday, Haller said: "I want to play as quickly as possible. There are no limits and restrictions on my involvement unless the medical staff tell me otherwise.

"[Returning is the] best feeling I could have. I didn't know what the future will bring, but I focused every day on staying fit.

"I can do everything now that I used to do before; that gives me great confidence.

"I took only 19 days off in the six months. It was hard, but it's my job and I love it."

Haller – who scored 34 goals in 43 games for Ajax last season before joining Dortmund for a reported €34.5million fee – also said he had never had concerns about his career coming to a premature end.

"[Retiring] was never on my mind," he said. "I had the mindset of looking forward and taking every day at a time. It was harder for my family, they suffered a lot because they didn't feel in control. They helped me a lot."

Also speaking at a press conference, Haller's Dortmund team-mate Marco Reus was delighted they could welcome the striker back into the fold ahead of the resumption of the Bundesliga season later this month.

"You can probably tell by my laughter, but it gives me goosebumps that he's back on the field," Reus told reporters. "I don't think he needs to say much at all, we were just so happy to have him back.

"I think we all took our hats off to the fight he put up and, above all, that he came back with a strength, with a mental strength that's really strong, and you can see it every day.

"He trains with us all the way; of course, he has a bit of catching up to do, but he pulls it off completely, and it's just a lot of fun to be back on the pitch with him, because of course he gives us a new alternative in the long run, which we perhaps don't have in our game yet.

"And that's why we're all doing well to stay calm, of course, and just give him a little bit of time until he finds his rhythm. That's going to take a little bit of time, but first and foremost just being healthy and playing what he feels most like playing."

On his own future, Reus also addressed recent rumours he will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia at the end of the season when his contract at Dortmund expires.

"I have a consultant to sort these things out," he said. "For me, it's just important that I stay in good health, that I do the complete training camp, do the games, and the rest you'll just really see in the future. But as I said, I have my advisor for that.

"Of course, you look ahead. And of course, I still have half a year left on my contract, and if I didn't worry about that, then it would be wrong.

"But actually, right now, I'm just happy to be back on the pitch and to be with the team. I mean, we are in sixth place and we really have other things to do right now. And that's where the focus is right now.

"Everything else will simply be decided in the next few weeks and months, and then we'll see in which direction it goes."

The 35-year-old's signing until the end of the 2026 MLS season was confirmed last week after he brought the curtain down on a 12-year spell at Borussia Dortmund

Despite leaving Europe, Reus still holds ambitions of lifting silverware in the United States, with the Galaxy in a promising position as MLS returns following a break for the Leagues Cup.

The Galaxy are top of the Western Conference on 49 points, four behind East leaders Inter Miami in the race for the Supporters' Shield.

In his introductory press conference, Reus said: "I'm here to help the team and to win championships. So that's the reason you play football. And of course that’s the reason why I’m here.

"The goal is for the club to win the championship and be successful. It's been 10 years since we won the championship, the time is now and I'm ready, I think the team is ready, so we're ready."

Reus joins an attack that has already scored 50 goals this season, the third most of any MLS side, and the Galaxy will hope his signing further galvanises their trophy bid as they aim to move on from their disappointing defeat to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup.

Saturday's opponents, Atlanta United, also suffered an early exit from that competition, and they will hope a good showing can set the tone for a strong run-in.

Atlanta have not played in nearly three weeks, but veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan welcomed the break in terms of providing both a physical and mental reset, as the Five Stripes approach the last nine matches of the regular season.

The ex-Aston Villa man said: "For us, it's been a time to hit the reset button and really look at things.

"We have been able to use it to our advantage. We understand the necessity to get points. We understand the urgency."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

Reus may be the new attraction, but Gabriel Pec has contributed to a goal in a Galaxy-record 11 straight regular-season home matches.

He has been involved in 17 goals (9 goals, 8 assists) in 13 home matches this season as only Lionel Messi (19) has more goal involvements in regular-season home matches in MLS in 2024.

Atlanta United – Saba Lobjanidze

Saba Lobjanidze (one goal, three assists) has been involved in each of Atlanta's last four regular-season goals.

His last two assists, both against the Columbus Crew on July 20, came off corners after he had not recorded an assist off a corner in his first 29 career MLS matches.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy have won nine of their last 12 regular season matches (L3) dating back to late May. This is the first time LA have won nine times in a span of 12 league games since July-September 2014, the Galaxy's last MLS Cup-winning season.

Atlanta, meanwhile, have lost three straight regular-season road matches for the first time since April 2022. It has been five years since the Five Stripes had a longer league losing streak on the road, losing six in a row on their travels in May-July 2019.

The Galaxy earned their first points against Atlanta the last time the sides met, winning 2-0 at home in July 2022. Atlanta had won the first three meetings between the sides by a combined score of 9-0.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

LA Galaxy - 50.0%

Draw - 25.3%

Atlanta United - 24.8%

Reus registered a goal and an assist on debut last week as the Galaxy beat Atlanta United 2-0, maintaining their grip on top spot in the Western Conference.

The Galaxy are five points clear of local rivals Los Angeles FC at the top of the standings ahead of Sunday's trip to St. Louis, who are 13th and 10 points adrift of the playoff picture.

Reus' arrival in Los Angeles has caused plenty of fanfare, but he is focused solely on the team's collective aims.

"It's not about me, it's about the team," he said. "We want to be champions. So we take it game by game.

"Besides the traffic, it's really amazing. The people are so friendly. The weather, it's really nice. When you wake up in the morning and the sun is shining, you start the day differently.

"So I'm really, really happy every morning I come into the dressing room. I'm just happy and excited."

St. Louis played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with the Portland Timbers last week, twice throwing away a two-goal lead to leave interim coach John Hackworth bewildered. 

"Really don't know what to say," Hackworth said. "It's hard to imagine coming to a place like this and scoring four goals, being up, and then just losing one-versus-one defensive battles.

"Sometimes, the number of goals you give up, or the number of goals you score, can hide a lot of the transition moments.

"An easy way to prevent some of these defensive miscues from happening is to just be better with the ball."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Eduard Lowen

Lowen scored his fourth goal of the MLS season last time out, converting from the penalty spot as St. Louis drew 4-4 with the Timbers.

Only Joao Klauss, with five goals, has outscored him for St. Louis this term.

LA Galaxy – Marco Reus

Reus is one of 20 players in MLS history to record a goal and an assist on his regular-season debut. 

He is also the fifth Galaxy player to do so, after Steven Gerrard, Andreas Herzog, Giovani dos Santos and Sasha Victorine. No other team have had more than two players achieve the feat.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

The Galaxy have won 10 of their last 13 regular-season matches, the first time they have done so in a single season since 2011. LA have not recorded 11 wins in a span of 14 matches within a single regular season in the post-shootout era (since 2000).

It would be no surprise to see the points shared in this one, though. All three meetings between St. Louis and the Galaxy have ended level, all with different scorelines (1-1, 2-2, 3-3).

St. Louis have only won one of the last six matches in which they have held the lead in regular-season play dating back to the beginning of June (four draws, one defeat).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 35.8%

LA Galaxy – 38.1%

Draw – 26.1%

Dortmund headed into Friday's game second to Bayern Munich only on goal difference after an imperious run of form since the return of domestic football following the Qatar World Cup.

Meanwhile, Leipzig, led by former Dortmund boss Marco Rose, were four points off top spot themselves and looking to move within striking distance of the top two.

After Julian Brandt had seen a goal ruled out for offside for the hosts, captain Marco Reus scored from the spot after being felled by Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to put Dortmund ahead and move into second on the club's all-time goalscoring list.

Emre Can then saw a shot from the edge of the box somehow find its way in to give his team a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.

Leipzig improved after the break though and halved the deficit when Emil Forsberg slid in to turn David Raum's cross into the net, setting up a grandstand finish.

Rose's men piled on the pressure, and an incredible goal-saving block was needed from Nico Schlotterbeck to deny Timo Werner's powerful goal-bound effort in the dying seconds as Dortmund saw the game out for three points to move top, with Bayern not playing until Saturday when they face Stuttgart.

Terzic was delighted after watching his team's last-ditch defending pay off, telling DAZN: "That was an absolutely top game, we're very happy.

"We played very well in the first half, in the second half we defended passionately. We saved it over the line, it wasn't easy to score a goal against us today."

Reus was relieved to pick up a 10th straight win in all competitions despite Dortmund's low-key second-half display, saying: "In the second half we didn't manage to keep the ball, to get more solutions, that wasn't so good anymore. 

"But we're very happy to have won the 10th competitive game in a row. In the end, I'd rather win than play well and lose. It's all about hard work, we've shown that in the past few weeks and today."

Rose was frustrated by the loss after a much-improved performance in the second half, explaining: "The result is difficult to accept, the second half clearly went to us. 

"Dortmund were very efficient. It was a decent game from us at the back, I didn't feel like we were clearly inferior. Over 90 minutes, it's hard to accept losing a game like that."

The 33-year-old Dortmund stalwart wants to begin next season with a championship to defend, having agreed to stay on to the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

It will be his 12th season as a Dortmund first-team player, and possibly his last.

Dortmund-born Reus emerged through the club's ranks before spending six seasons away at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Monchengladbach, but since rejoining BVB in 2012 he has been a pivotal figure.

As Dortmund noted when announcing his extension, Reus is 16 short of Adi Preissler's record of 177 goals for the club, which may be a target.

Reus sent a message to supporters, saying: "As a team, we – just like all of our fans – have a big goal on our minds right now which our full focus is on: we want to become German champions; to do that, we'll need every single Borusse.

"But beyond that, I still really want to do my best for the club I've spent over half my life with. There's still nothing better for me than scoring goals in front of the best fans in the world in the most beautiful stadium in the world and celebrating victories together.

"That's why I'm happy I've extended my contract for another year, because I've always said there's no other club I'd prefer to play for over BVB in my career."

Dortmund top the Bundesliga by one point from Bayern Munich, with five rounds of games remaining.

Reus has been unlucky with injuries at times in his career, never more so than when he missed Germany's triumphant World Cup campaign in 2014 due to an ankle injury sustained just days before the tournament began.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke described Reus as "supremely ambitious to lead our BVB to its greatest objectives", while sporting director Sebastian Kehl was delighted to get the deal over the line.

Kehl said: "As a player and a role model, Marco is enormously important for this club – among our fans in the South Stand and in this city, but also beyond the borders of Dortmund and to BVB fans all over the world, too.

"As a long-time BVB player and a Dortmund native, he will not only continue to play an active role in enjoying success on the pitch, but will also use all his experience to advance the development of the younger generation within our squad."