Will This Be the Last Season of Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa at Borussia Dortmund?

Before the 2016/17 season started for Borussia Dortmund, it was obvious to many that there would be a few cases of hardship within the Black and Yellows’ squad.

It comes with the territory of a summer of upheaval that saw the club add no fewer than eight players following the departure of three regular starters in Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, as well as the sales of midfield back-up Moritz Leitner and fan favourite Jakub Blaszczykowski, who had spent the previous year on loan.

The Ruhr side have acquired so much depth that some players would always struggle for playing time, or to even make the bench for any given match. With only 18 spots available in a matchday squad, several highly rated talents or seasoned professionals will be left out in the cold.

At the dawn of the campaign, however, most thought Dortmund’s somewhat bloated squad would come at the cost of the team’s many promising youngsters, such as 18-year-olds Felix Passlack and Christian Pulisic, or a summer signing like Emre Mor.

So far, those concerns have not been validated. With the exception of 20-year-old midfielder Mikel Merino, who has yet to debut for the club in a competitive match after coming over from Segunda Division side CA Osasuna in the summer, veterans have mostly drawn the short straw.

Even with Dortmund missing a number of players who will automatically return to the matchday squad on their return from injury, a few experienced members available to head coach Thomas Tuchel have so far played minor parts, if that, to this point.

Marco Reus and Sven Bender have missed all 10 of the club’s matches this season, while the Black and Yellows have been without centre-back Marc Bartra and winger Andre Schurrle for stretches as well. Their return to fitness will only complicate things for those who have not played as much football as their standing would usually dictate.

Given the club’s youth movement and the rapid development the youngsters are showing, it seems entirely possible that Dortmund will clear out some squad members in the January transfer window or next summer.

Central defender Neven Subotic would not still be at the Westfalenstadion had he not failed a medical at Middlesbrough, per Anthony Vickers of the Evening Gazette. One of the longest-serving players on the team, the Serbian’s departure seems merely delayed. 

Full-back Joo Ho Park only joined Dortmund late in the 2015 summer window and appeared in just nine matches, the last of which was played on January 23. The club would …

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