Lars Ricken weighs in on controversy over Marcel Sabitzer's role at Borussia Dortmund

Lars Ricken has made it clear that individual interests shouldn't come before the team following controversy over Marcel Sabitzer's role at Borussia Dortmund.

Asked to play in a wide attacking role by Nuri Sahin, Marcel Sabitzer has not enjoyed the best of starts to the season. The Austrian international made his frustrations public last month when he said that he is not happy with the position he is being asked to play in.

His frustrations became a big talking point, and Lars Ricken was asked to weigh in on the matter during his appearance on BILD-TV on Sunday. The Borussia Dortmund CEO for sport said that while they hold Sabitzer in very high regard, every individual should work for the improvement of the team.

Lars Ricken on controversy over Marcel Sabitzer's role

"The discussion is actually a shame, because we hold him in extremely high regard. Without him, we probably wouldn't have reached the Champions League final last season. And Nuri Sahin has also shown that he wants him on the pitch, even if he may have played in a position that isn't his strongest."

"It's important that individual interests aren't the main focus in a situation like this, but that everyone puts themselves at the service of the team and that the team performance really is the decisive factor," Ricken said (via Ruhr Nachrichten).

Sabitzer joined Borussia Dortmund from Bayern Munich last year and established himself as a key part of the team in the second half of last season. His performances were crucial to BVB's run to the Champions League final.

The 30 year old played from the start in five of Borussia Dortmund's first six games of the current season. He came off the bench against Celtic and Union Berlin last week.