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The club announced today that 19-year-old defensive midfielder Pascal Stenzel has moved on loan to SC Freiburg of the 2. Bundesliga. The loan will last through June of next season.
Stenzel has only appeared once for Dortmund this season, when he started in the midfield against PAOK in the Europa League. The young German midfielder played well in what was a frustrating match for Dortmund in attack. Stenzel had been an unused substitute seven times in all competitions and had featured in recent friendlies over the winter break, but he clearly needed to see more playing time in competitive matches.
Thomas Tuchel and the other higher-ups in the club see promise in Stenzel, as he signed a new contract in October that will keep him at the Westfalenstadion until 2019. Stenzel, who came through the academy at Dortmund after he spent time at Arminia Bielefeld and VfL Osnabrück, has also featured for the German U-20 national team.
"In Freiburg Pascal has a good chance to get a lot of play at a high level and to evolve so sustainably," said Sporting Director Michael Zorc.
If the season ended today Freiburg would be promoted to the Bundesliga as they sit on 38 points in second place. Last year saw Freiburg relegated on the final day of the season by a single point when they lost 2-1 to Hannover.
The most interesting part of this loan is that it lasts all the way through next season. It's a good bet that Freiburg's campaign this year will see them return to the first division. This move allows Stenzel to grow in the 2. Bundesliga this season before hopefully stepping into a bigger role as a 20-year-old in the 2016-2017 Bundesliga.