Ginter hails 'simply unbelievable' Mkhitaryan & names 'madman' Aguero as his toughest opponent

World Cup winner Matthias Ginter has hailed Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan as "simply unbelievable", while he considers Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero to be the toughest player he's come up against.

As a Germany international and seasoned performer in the Bundesliga, highly-rated defender Ginter has played with and against some of the finest players on the planet.

And the 25-year-old, who had a three-year stint at Borussia Dortmund between 2014 and 2017, has praised Mkhitaryan's impact for the Bundesliga club in a hugely impressive 2015-16 campaign.

Mkhitaryan was starring for title-chasing Dortmund at the time, prior to making a move to Manchester United, and his exploits appear to have left a lasting impression on Ginter.

He told Goal: "When Henrikh Mkhitaryan played at Dortmund in 2015-16 he was simply unbelievable.

"He collected 50 goals and assists across all competitions and destroyed everybody.

"He worked a lot for the team, assisting goals, scoring goals and helping us to have a strong season."

Ginter was already an established name himself by the time the aforementioned season was played out, with World Cup success having been savoured with Germany in 2014.

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And in the aftermath of that tournament, Ginter came up against who he considers to be his toughest opponent in the form of Manchester City and Argentina striker Sergio Aguero.

He added: "After the 2014 World Cup we played against Argentina. He is nimble, always moving and very difficult to defend.

"Aguero is a madman."

While Ginter figured against Argentina, he was kept on the bench throughout Germany’s triumphant World Cup campaign in Brazil.

The same situation played out four years later in Russia, but a man with 23 caps to his name has no complaints at having not yet made an appearance at a World Cup.

He said: "I've participated in two world championships at the age of 24 and have been able to witness an incredible number of great moments with the national team.

"You should not search for negatives all the time. Of course, every footballer wants to be on the pitch, but especially with the national team you have to put your ego to one side.

"I would rather sit on the bench and win the title than play and lose in the quarter-finals."

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Germany did not even make it that far in 2018, with Joachim Low’s side suffering a humbling exit at the group stage in Russia.

"Nobody in the national team expected what happened at the World Cup," added Ginter.

"After such a tournament, certain things change. New players are joining and some established players are not playing as often.

"Nevertheless, as far as the processes, the training or the coach is concerned, nothing fundamental has changed since the summer.

"We know what mistakes were made. The World Cup is analysed and worked upon."

For now, Ginter’s focus has shifted back to domestic matters at club level.

He is into a second season with Borussia Monchengladbach, with the club chasing down Champions League qualification once more.

They sit third in the Bundesliga at present, with their impressive performances earning plenty of praise and admiring glances.

It has been suggested that they may struggle to retain the services of their best players, with Thorgan Hazard and Alassane Plea among those to have sparked transfer talk.

"I hope that we stay together as a team like this," said Ginter.

"With players like Alassane and Thorgan, something big can be achieved here. But I'm not a football romantic and I know that it's hard to predict the future."