Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac reflected on a 'generational' shift within the club after Julian Brandt played his last home game in the Bundesliga on Friday.
The German international is set to leave Dortmund after seven years as the player and the club agreed not to extend his contract beyond this summer.
Brandt appeared before the Signal Iduna Park crowd for one last time in the fabled black and yellow colors as the BVB prevailed 3-2 over Eintracht Frankfurt in their last home league game of the 2025-26 season.
The 30-year-old was deployed in his usual position, behind the lone striker Serhou Guirassy. But supporting him in that role was Samuele Inacio, the Italian teenager who opened his goalscoring account on the night.
The 18-year-old dynamite struck their third goal of the night in the second half which consolidated their grip on the match as Inacio demonstrated his potential to take over the creative mantle from Brandt.
Kovac reflected on this change of guard after the match, honoring Brandt for his contributions over the years but refused to hype Inacio as the Croatian believes he still has a long way to go.
""We’ve seen a bit of a generational change today. Jule has had a great seven years here. With Samuele, I have to be careful not to say too much and not to raise expectations too high.""said Kovac
Inacio had already made five appearances for Dortmund this season before Friday's game, with the player demonstrating confidence and nonchalance that belied his age.
On Friday, Kovac gave him another chance to shine by starting him in the XI for the first time and Inacio made it count, scoring his first goal for Dortmund and becoming one of the youngest ever Italian players to have struck in the Bundesliga.
Praising the young gun's work-ethic, Kovac said of Inacio:
""He has shown today and in recent games that he wants it, he does it, he gets things done. He fights and works hard off the ball, and he's very good on it—he's already created plenty of chances. [He could] perhaps become Jule's replacement somewhere – even if that's just in quotation marks for now." "added the manager
Since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019, Brandt had developed into a talismanic attacking force for Dortmund. He not only created goals, but also opened up defenses with his intelligent movements and fine throughballs. His departure will no doubt leave a massive void in their attacking midfield role as the BVB will have to delve into the summer transfer window for that.
But, Inacio is already being billed as a potential successor although Kovac feels he still has some time to grow into his role at the club, given his nascent age.
""He has big shoes to fill. The youngster is 18 and Jule is now 30. We should give him time. If he stays fit, he will certainly become a good footballer.""added Kovac
Sporting director Lars Ricken has hinted at more playing time for Inacio, signed from Atalanta's youth academy in 2024.
""He's started for the third time in a row and has played the full 90 minutes in the last two matches. We mustn't get ahead of ourselves, but of course this is a sign of things to come for the upcoming season.""said Ricken
We could still see more of Inacio this weekend when Borussia Dortmund play their final Bundesliga game of the season away to Werder Bremen. It would also mark Brandt's last official game for the club.
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