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Borussia Dortmund announced Monday that defender Dzenis Burnic will be loaned to VfB Stuttgart for the 2017/18 season.
The 19-year-old defender made two appearances for the first team last year, including one league start in a loss against Darmstadt. During that match, Burnic picked up a yellow card.
Burnic also made a substitute appearance against Sporting CP back in October. Aside from dressing for a pair of Bundesliga games and one match in the DFB-Pokal, Burnic did not factor into much of the season.
#Burnic (19) wechselt für ein Jahr per Leihe zum @VfB Stuttgart. Alles Gute, Dzenis! pic.twitter.com/a9G2uwuIGs
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) July 10, 2017
In a statement, Sporting Director Michael Zorc seemed optimistic about the future for Burnic.
“We know that he is in good hands with Hannes Wolf and are closely watching his achievements,” Zorc said.
For Stuttgart, Burnic is the fourth loanee to join the newly-promoted side this summer and will fit in well with a primarily young defensive unit. His prior league experience will be helpful for a club looking to rediscover its Bundesliga identity.
The loan also benefits Dortmund by giving a talented young defender to have a chance at earning first-team appearances to give BVB some future depth on the backline.