Dortmund captain Reus compares Haaland to Lewandowski

CAPE TOWN – Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus has compared new striker Erling Haaland to Robert Lewandowski, who spent four years at the club before moving to rivals Bayern Munich.

The prolific Polish striker scored 103 goals in 187 games for Dortmund before moving on to Munich, where he has found the back of the net over 200 times in the last six years.

Many strikers have come and gone at Dortmund over the years, and none of them were able to replicate what Lewandowski achieved, with perhaps Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang coming closest before moving to Arsenal.

Haaland impressed for former club Red Bull Salzburg earlier this season, where he scored 29 goals in 27 games, which led to him being linked with a host of Europe’s biggest clubs like Manchester United, Juventus, RB Leipzig and Real Madrid.

“I don’t think we’ve had that kind of striker since Robert Lewandowski,” Reus told Sky Germany.

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/ErlingHaaland?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ErlingHaalandon what he's hoping to achieve @BlackYellow💭 pic.twitter.com/pWu45kE2cG

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN)

“He gives us the option to be more flexible and to play in different systems and styles,” said the Dortmund skipper.

“He’s a very open guy. First of all, it’s important to get to know him. He gives us another way of playing and we have to be able to work with him, too, and bring out all his strengths. But that will all come about in time.

Dortmund won the title in two of the four season when they had Lewandiwski, and Reus believes Haaland’s arrival will be pivotal in where they end up in the Bundesliga, where they trail league leaders Leipzig by seven points.

“If you look at out squad, what more could you ask for in terms of quality? We have shown it on the pitch, that our squad can take us anywhere. We’ve got a very good striker and new options, therefore, we’re in a good place.

“Winning the is as realistic as it was at the start of the season. I wouldn’t say it’s in our hands, but we’re definitely in the right place to fight back. Don’t forget about Dortmund now [in the title race],” said Reus.