Borussia Dortmund parted ways with U23 coach Christian Preusser, 39, whose team currently occupy 16th place in the 3. Liga with 21 rounds of matches played (six wins), with immediate effect on Monday evening.

Ingo Preuss, the sporting director of the U23s, explained: "We did not take this decision lightly. In recent weeks, however, we have come to believe that it would be difficult to achieve our objectives for the season – both in terms of the development of the team and the individual development of the players – with the existing setup. We would like to thank Christian Preusser for his work and wish him all the best for the future." 

Preusser took over the reins at the BVB U23s last summer directly before the season got under way, following the late departure of Enrico Maassen to FC Augsburg.

Borussia Dortmund will appoint a successor to Christian Preusser in the coming days.