Bundesliga
New Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose met the media for the first time since stepping into the role and immediately praised the club's topscorer in 2019/20, calling Erling Haaland "a rocket" of a player.
Rose previously worked with Haaland at Salzburg, where they won the Austrian league title together in 2018/19. The 44-year-old tactician is clearly looking forward to being reunited with the Norway striker at Dortmund.
"[Erling Haaland] is a rocket," said Rose on Thursday of the 20-year-old who scored 27 times in 28 Bundesliga appearances last term and bagged 41 goals from 41 games in all competitions.
"It doesn't surprise me how successful we were with him in Salzburg. How he performed, how he dealt with setbacks...that was extraordinary."
Watch: Erling Haaland's first full season at Borussia Dortmund
The pair's reunion will have to wait a little while, however.
With 10 Dortmund players currently away at UEFA Euro 2020, there will be a relatively empty training ground to greet Rose's arrival. He confirmed that those at the championship - as well as Haaland and USA international Gio Reyna - will be given an extended break before the new campaign.
“We know the situation of all the players at Euro 2020 and will have to work with it," added Rose. "The boys should also have time for vacation. Erling and Gio, for example, had international matches, so they will join us a little later."
Rose moves to the Signal Iduna Park after two highly successful seasons with Borussia Mönchengladbach and on the back of Dortmund's third-place finish and DFB Cup glory last term.
The former Mainz defender is now tasked with building on that success. He will be hoping to end Dortmund's nine-year wait to lift the Meisterschale, which dates back to their most recent league title win in 2011/12.
Rose explained that the shared desire between club and coach to win trophies was one of the biggest reasons behind his decision to switch clubs this summer.
"The squad is very well set up, and at BVB you play for titles," he said. "That's also one of the reasons why I decided to join the club.
“I'm particularly happy that I can become part of Borussia Dortmund's history."