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Matthias Sammer: 'Douglas Costa is not a replacement for Franck Ribery'

Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer insists that new signing Douglas Costa is not a replacement for Franck Ribery.

Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer has claimed that Douglas Costa was not signed to replace Franck Ribery.

The Bundesliga champions confirmed the arrival of Costa from Shakhtar Donetsk on a five-year deal on Wednesday, but Sammer has dismissed suggestions that Bayern entered the market due to Franck Ribery's battle with injuries throughout last season.

"In reference to Franck Ribery, who is injured now for a long time, I think it is very disrespectful," he told reporters. "He is injured, cannot train with the team but is still a player of Bayern Munich.

"We will wait for him, he has our full support and we hope that he will come back healthy as soon as possible. Douglas Costa is not his replacement."

Costa is believed to have cost Bayern close to £21m.

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Leverkusen's Polish defender Sebastian Boenisch and Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa vie for the ball during the UEFA Champions League group A match on October 23, 2013
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1Bayern MunichBayern97203272523
2RB Leipzig96211551020
3Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt95222314917
4Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen94412015516
5Borussia DortmundDortmund95131715216
6Freiburg95131311216
7Union BerlinUnion Berlin943298115
8Stuttgart93421716113
9Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach94141514113
10Werder Bremen93331520-512
11Augsburg93241320-711
12Heidenheim93151212010
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15St Pauli9225711-48
16Hoffenheim92251319-68
17Holstein Kiel91261123-125
18VfL BochumVfL Bochum9018929-201


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