“To play in the Bundesliga and therefore one of the top leagues in Europe is something very special. Union has developed impressively in recent years and left its mark on the Bundesliga. Together with the club, I also want to develop further and gain a foothold here. I’m very much looking forward to the team and the new task,” said Schäfer on his arrival at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

But it was Liverpool who took the lead after 10 minutes when Nunez controlled Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb ball over the top and fired past the stranded Pope with his strike surviving a VAR check for offside.

Boris Rupert reporting

Borussia sign Fabio Chiarodia from Werder Bremen Borussia Mönchengladbach have signed centre-back Fabio Chiarodia from SV...

Werder Bremen and Fabio Chiarodia are parting ways this summer break. The 18-year-old is moving from SVW to league rival Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Italy youth international’s advisor had already informed club officials at Werder at the weekend that Chiarodia would activate the exit clause in his contract and transfer to Gladbach.

Despite his young age, the 21-year-old has already made 57 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga. Last season, the tall midfielder was a key player for KSC until he suffered an ankle injury and had a passing completion rate of over 80%.

Juventus could be looking to make a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.

Everything seemed ready to go, but at 16:00 CEST on the dot at Schenckendorffplatz torrential rain started to pour down. A classic summer storm prevented the planned start of the Blue-White’s pre-season out on the pitch. Anticipation ahead of the new season, which is reflected by the amount of season ticket sales so far, was also reflected by around 200 fans who had come to watch training, but the weather didn’t allow for the original plan and improvisation was needed. Instead, the players worked inside doing some gym work. “A proper training session would’ve been better in giving me a direct picture of the new players, because every second counts,” explained Pál Dárdai, who will lead the time for a sixth season. For the head coach as well as the supporters, there will be more more opportunities to watch the boys putting in the hard yards in the coming days. “People love this club and support us. If we can work well as a coaching team and everything grows together it will be worth coming again because then we will see a team built on mentality with character that gives everything for Hertha BSC. That is the first step before we can state any goals,” emphasised the head coach.

“Julian made a name for himself through his strong performances in the Bundesliga 2 for SC Paderborn. He is very fast, technically strong and his outstanding goal-scoring rate for a player of his position speaks for itself,” says TSG’s director of football, Alexander Rosen. The former German youth international is “a very exciting player who can play on both flanks as a left-footer and thus offers an interesting additional component to our squad. It speaks volumes about him that he is ready to take on the role of someone challenging for a place in the team, and I trust that he can be a real surprise in the new season.”

RB Leipzig going into its eighth season | Only one double-game week in the Bundesliga | New match ball from DERBYSTAR for anniversary