Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of Borussia Dortmund’s squad that face Sporting in the Champions League on Wednesday after making an unsanctioned trip to Italy on Monday, reports The Daily Mirror.
The Gabon international was left to watch his team from the stands as his replacement, Adrian Ramos, scored the only goal in their 1-0 win to gain the upper hand in their group after Real Madrid slipped to a shock 3-3 draw against Legia Warszawa.
Aubameyang, 27, has been heavily linked with a move away from Dortmund in recent times and his trip to Italy will only fuel further speculation of a move away.
“It was very difficult to do without him,” The Daily Mirror quote Thomas Tuchel as saying after their win on Wednesday. “But it was that I had no choice. The decision was made yesterday [Tuesday] afternoon. In the next game, he will be back.
“But, internal reasons means internal. I do not account for speculation.”
The timing of the incident is particularly poor for Tuchel’s side, who failed to win a league game in October and are already eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayern.
In the last three Bundesliga seasons only Robert Lewandowski (54) has scored more goals than Aubameyang (48).
For more stats on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
