Thireteen-year-old Youssouffa Moukoko (2nd from r.) is unlikely to usurp Mario Götze (1st. l.), Maximilian Philipp (2nd l.) et al in the Borussia Dortmund pecking order, prodigiously talented as he is. - © © DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA
Thireteen-year-old Youssouffa Moukoko (2nd from r.) is unlikely to usurp Mario Götze (1st. l.), Maximilian Philipp (2nd l.) et al in the Borussia Dortmund pecking order, prodigiously talented as he is. - © © DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA

Who will replace Michy Batshuayi as Borussia Dortmund’s first-choice centre-forward?

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How do you replace a man like Michy Batshuayi? That’s the question that Borussia Dortmund’s top brass will have to answer quickly after the Chelsea-owned Belgium striker was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a serious ankle injury.

The loss of the 24-year-old is a serious blow for BVB as they continue to push for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, but coach Peter Stöger does have options. bundesliga.com runs the rule over the players who could fill those big Belgian boots…

Watch: The goals Dortmund need to replace - every one of Batshuayi's for BVB to date!

1)Mario Götze

Pros: An attacking midfielder by trade, Götze has previously been deployed in the false nine position for both Bayern Munich and Germany, and no goal better illustrates his ability to spring from deep than his stunning winner against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. Thanks to his exceptional technique and keen eye for goal, the 25-year-old could certainly do a job at the forefront of Dortmund’s attack, especially as he looks to convince Joachim Löw that he is worthy of a place at this summer’s World Cup in Russia.

- © DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA

2)Maximilian Philipp

Pros: With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now plying his trade at Arsenal and Batshuayi out of commission, Philipp is the most prolific man at Stöger’s disposal, with seven goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances. While the 24-year-old prefers cutting in from a wide position, he has shown that he can keep his cool in front of goal, netting braces in the thumping home wins over Cologne and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Also on target in the recent victory over VfB Stuttgart, Philipp looks the most natural fit to replace Batshuayi, having played as a centre-forward or No.10 in his early days at Freiburg.

- © DFL DEUTSCHE FUSSBALL LIGA

3)Andre Schürrle

Pros: Like Philipp, Schürrle is capable of playing across the attack, and actually had his most prolific Bundesliga season - 15 goals for Mainz in 2010/11 - when alternating between the centre-forward role and his natural position on the left wing. Injury problems have prevented the 27-year-old from hitting the heights of his Mainz, Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg days, but he certainly has the talent and experience to lead the line for BVB. Schürrle's excellent scoring record for Germany - 22 goals in 57 appearances - is another cause for optimism, and like Götze, he’ll be doing everything in his power to book a spot on the plane to Russia this summer.

Watch: Schürrle, Götze and Reus fit and firing!

Cons: Schürrle has already started a handful of games this season at centre-forward, but so far he has only managed a single goal, in the dramatic 3-2 away win over Cologne. Though he has chipped in with four assists, the Germany winger may be a little rusty when it comes to finding the back of the net - especially as he has only started 10 games during an injury-hit campaign.

Likelihood: 3/5

- © gettyimages / Alex Grimm

4)Andrey Yarmolenko

Pros: The man who wears the Dortmund No.9 shirt has proven goalscoring pedigree, having hit double figures with Dynamo Kyiv for seven straight seasons before his switch to the Bundesliga last summer. Though a foot injury has kept him sidelined since late January, the Ukraine international is back at full fitness and could be given the chance to add to his goals against Augsburg, Hannover and Leverkusen. At an imposing 6’3”, the 28-year-old would also make a useful target man in and around the penalty area, either to hold up play or get on the end of crosses.

- © gettyimages / Sebastian Widmann

5)Alexander Isak

Pros: Apart from Batshuayi, Isak is the only natural centre-forward in Dortmund’s ranks, although the 18-year-old has made just a handful of Bundesliga appearances since joining from AIK Solna in January 2017. There is no questioning his ability — he scored 10 goals in 24 games in the 2016 Allsvenskan campaign, and then became Sweden’s youngest ever international goalscorer just before moving to BVB — but Stöger appears unlikely to gamble Dortmund’s European hopes on a player who is still very much a work in progress.  

- © gettyimages / Mika Volkmann

6) Emre Aydinel

Pros: “Emre who?”, you may well be asking. The 18-year-old - born in Germany but with Turkish roots - has been one of the star performers for Dortmund’s Under-19s this term, notching no fewer than 17 goals in 21 games. He would certainly be a left-field choice for Stöger, although stranger things have happened in football. Either way, the former Germany U17 player is one to keep an eye on in the coming months and years.

7)Youssoufa Moukoko

Pros: If Aydinel was a left-field choice, Moukoko would be an option from somewhere high up in the Signal Iduna Park stands, but the 13-year-old — yes, you read that right — has earned himself a mention due to his goalscoring heroics with the Dortmund U17s. The Cameroon-born prodigy - who grabbed a Revierderby hat-trick against the Schalke U17s last October - has amassed a whopping 31 goals in 19 games this season, and looks set to take the footballing world by storm if and when he turns professional.

Watch: Skip to 2:20 in this video from the DFB below to see Moukoko strut his stuff

Cons: He’s 13. Come on.

Likelihood: 0/5

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