Kovac defends Nwaneri after Arsenal loanee is subbed on and off in Dortmund's Champions League win

Ethan Nwaneri was both introduced and withdrawn in the same Champions League match on Tuesday, yet Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac was quick to stress the Arsenal loanee had done nothing wrong in the 3-2 win over Villarreal at the Westfalenstadion.

Nwaneri entered the game after just 27 minutes when Konstantinos Karetsas was forced off with a circulation issue, the Belgian midfielder carried from the field on a stretcher and taken directly to hospital in distressing scenes. Karetsas, who joined Dortmund from Genk in the summer and was making his fifth appearance for the club, was later said to be doing “as well as can be expected given the circumstances.”

The 18-year-old made an immediate impression during his time on the pitch, registering the joint-most shots, joint-most dribbles and joint-most tackles for the Bundesliga side. Despite that contribution, Nwaneri was replaced by Carney Chukwuemeka in the 82nd minute, shortly after Serhou Guirassy had put Dortmund 2-1 ahead.

Kovac was unequivocal when asked whether the substitution reflected any dissatisfaction with the teenager. “He gave everything. If he had started the game, he probably would have come off around the 60th minute,” the Dortmund head coach said. Pressed further on whether the decision was performance-related, Kovac added: “Quite the opposite — he was really good. It was great that he was able to have an impact on the team in such a short time.”

Nwaneri himself appeared untroubled after the final whistle, posting on Instagram: “Great team spirit, onto Saturday.” The message drew responses from several teammates, with Jobe Bellingham and Waldemar Anton among those to react, while Chukwuemeka wrote “My boyy” alongside a red heart emoji and forward Fabio Silva added: “So good.”