Youssoufa Moukoko NXGN 2021Getty Images

'Do you actually know how old he is?' - Rose defends Moukoko after Borussia Dortmund teenager criticised by media

Marco Rose has blasted coverage of Youssoufa Moukoko's performances, with the Borussia Dortmund boss backing the teenager in the face of media criticism.

The 17-year-old is a superstar talent in the making - but has been judged harshly when he has failed to live up to the hype.

That has frustrated Rose and, following a 3-1 win over Greuther Furth, the manager came out in defence of the young forward.

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What has Rose said about coverage of Moukoko?

"Do you actually know how old he is?" Rose stated after the match. "He's 17.

"Normal people who aren't involved in high-performance sport still talk about children [at that age].

"Then they write: 'The crash of Youssoufa Moukoko.' - I don't know how I would have felt at 17 if I had to read something like this about myself."

What has Rose said about his future?

Dortmund fell short once more this season in their attempts to prise the Bundesliga title away from Bayern Munich, and media reports have suggested a degree of unrest behind the scenes.

Rose has rejected such speculation, though, adding: "What should I tell you about that? You're trying to conjure something up again. Aki Watzke, Michael Zorc, Sebastian Kehl and I, we work relatively trustingly - not relatively, but very trustingly - together.

"I'll be the coach of Borussia Dortmund next season and I'm looking forward to it because I have a very good relationship with my team and I want to get something going here."

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