Dietmar Hamann hails Nico Schlotterbeck after strong performance against Newcastle

Dietmar Hamann was full of praise of Nico Schlotterbeck after the Borussia Dortmund centre-back delivered an excellent performance against Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Nico Schlotterbeck showed on Wednesday evening why he is regarded as one of the most talented centre-backs in Germany by delivering an excellent performance against Newcastle United. In what was a must-win UEFA Champions League clash for Borussia Dortmund, the 23 year old stepped up in defence and also came up with the match-winning assist.

Schlotterbeck has been in fantastic form since being left out of the Germany squad by Julian Nagelsmann earlier this month. And Dietmar Hamann has now hailed him for his all-round performances.

In his column for Sky Sport, the former Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder wrote that there aren’t many centre-backs in Europe with ball-playing skills like Schlotterbeck.

"“Schlotterbeck still has the odd mistake or two too many in his game, but he’s currently keeping Niklas Süle out of the team and left-footed central defenders like him are something you look for all over the world.”“He is a great player, very good in tackling and strong in heading. He’s probably one of the best centre-backs in terms of ball-playing skills, not just in Germany, but in all of Europe. I really hope he can finally take the next step now.”"

Nico Schlotterbeck has been a regular starter for Borussia Dortmund since joining the club from SC Freiburg last year. Despite being a centre-back, he likes to charge forward and has shown his quality in the attacking third on a number of occasions. Schlotterbeck has five goals and six assists to his name in just 50 appearances for BVB.