Former Borussia Monchengladbach player Hans-Gunter Bruns has insisted that the current side have yet to properly replace Marco Reus.
Reus was sold in the summer, along with Dante and Roman Neustadter, and Bruns has said that a new "leader" on the pitch is needed if Gladbach are to climb the Bundesliga.
"The big problem this season has been the loss of quality players such as Reus, Dante and Neustadter," Bundesliga.de quotes Bruns as saying. "From my perspective, these players cannot be adequately replaced.
"Therefore, this season, Gladbach won't finish higher than mid-table. The new players are decent players, but a Dante or Reus are irreplaceable. The team has lost its leader. It must find a new one."
Bruns played 331 league games for Gladbach in two spells between 1978 and 1990.