Borussia Dortmund's long-serving ex-player and former team captain Marcel Schmelzer, 36, will become Jan Zimmermann's assistant coach with the BVB U23s in the 3. Liga starting from next season. Schmelzer, who made 367 competitive appearances for the BVB first team in his playing career, has signed a contract dated until 30 June 2026.

BVB Managing Director Lars Ricken explained: "We not only want to further develop our players, but also our coaches. With his extensive experience in professional football and his dedicated work at youth level, Marcel will be a first-class addition to the coaching staff of our U23s."

Schmelzer is currently part of the coaching staff of U17 boss Marco Lehmann and has just helped the team reach the semi-finals of the German Championship. 

In his new role, Schmelzer will particularly focus on working with the very young talents in the U23s, developing them and introducing them to professional football. "Marcel's football knowledge will give us a different perspective and he is also a very good fit for us on a personal level," said Jan Zimmermann.

"It has already been clear to me for a long time that I absolutely wanted to take the step into senior football. I'm really happy about this opportunity, because our U23s are an interesting team with a lot of young talents," emphasised Marcel Schmelzer. The former international will work alongside his former team-mate Julian Koch – who like him once moved into professional football via the U23s – at what is currently the top-ranked reserve team of a Bundesliga club in German football.