Zelic tips Langerak to stay at Dortmund

Former Borussia Dortmund defender Ned Zelic doesn't expect Mitch Langerak to follow fellow Australian Mustafa Amini out of the door at the Bundesliga club.

Australia Under-23 international Amini revealed on Friday that he is preparing to quit Dortmund at the end of the 2014-15 campaign after three seasons with the club's youth team as he seeks first-team football.

Langerak has only made 26 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions since joining from Melbourne Victory in 2010, deputising for first-choice goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, and the Socceroos international has previously dismissed talk of a possible departure.
 
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But the 26-year-old has found game time increasingly hard to come by since the 2015 Asian Cup, with the Australian yet to tally a league appearance this year, having started five consecutive matches before the mid-season break in January.

Langerak played second fiddle to Mathew Ryan throughout Australia's successful Asian Cup campaign on home soil, which has led to yet another period on the sidelines in the Bundesliga, though Zelic believes Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp would be reluctant to part ways with the keeper.

"I can't see Dortmund letting him go to satisfy his own needs because they see him as the perfect number two," Zelic told Perform.

"It is a bit disappointing for Mitch because he was in the team, then the Asian Cup came around and he missed the entire training period after the winter break.

"Obviously it was great to have him in the [Socceroos] squad but if you look at his individual position it was a bit of disaster. He was on the bench the whole time.

"Weidenfeller has been good since the break. They have been getting good results. Obviously Klopp is going to keep him in the team."

Langerak's lack of regular game time has also seen him fall behind countryman Ryan in Ange Postecoglou's plans, with the 22-year-old firmly entrenched as Australia's number one following his stellar form for Belgian giants Club Brugge.

"It is unlucky for Mitch because I have always been a big fan of his. It was always going to be a good battle between Maty Ryan and Mitch for the number one spot," Zelic added.

"I always thought, If Mitch was playing regularly like Maty and that's the good decision that Maty made to go to Club Brugge where he has gone to the next level.

"If Mitch was in that position where he was playing week in week out, he would have gone to the next level as well."