The Switzerland boss has hailed the 20-year-old as a talent that only comes around once every “100 years” and remains unsurprised by the news regarding his summer transfer
Former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld says he is surprised the club didn’t sign Mario Gotze sooner and believes it was “obvious” the Borussia Dortmund star would end up at the Allianz Arena.
The two clubs announced earlier this week that the 20-year-old had signalled his intention to join the Bavarians in the summer, with FCB ready to meet the player’s release clause.
But while the news stunned European football, Hitzfeld – who enjoyed two spells in charge of the club – was unsurprised by the revelations.
“I‘ve wondered why Bayern hadn’t signed Gotze earlier,” he told Abendzeitung.
“Two years ago it was already evident that Mario is the kind of talent that comes around once every 100 years. It was obvious to me that he would eventually come to Bayern.”
The 64-year-old then hailed Bayern’s strength in depth and stated his belief that even the club’s second string side would compete well in the Bundesliga.
“Bayern never had such a strong squad–especially in terms of width. There are two perfect Bundesliga teams [in the squad]. Were the B-team to play in the Bundesliga they would place between third and fifth.”