Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has played down suggestions of a rift with Mario Gotze, after a supposed training ground bust-up.

Reports in Germany suggested that the pair had been involved in a heated exchange, with the BVB coach unimpressed with Gotze's efforts in a training exercise on Tuesday.

It was stated Tuchel had berated the World Cup winner following a passing drill, declaring Gotze's showing "like something from the youth team" - before telling Gotze and his teammates to stop what they were doing and change to a fitness exercise.

Dortmund, and the returning Gotze - back after his three-year stint at Bayern Munich turned sour - have struggled for consistency this season and currently sit seventh in the Bundesliga.

They head to unbeaten Hoffenheim on Friday night, but according to Tuchel the incident has been misunderstood and his displeasure was not just confined to Gotze, but rather the entire side.

Gotze's homecoming has yet to really work out
Tuchel has sought to clarify his position

"I was informed on Wednesday that I had a problem with Mario, which is simply not true," he said.

"I said loudly after a [passing exercise], where 10 players were involved, that I was not satisfied.

"The journalists who were there have heard that, and it's also perfectly okay to write about it, but the sentence was not just about Mario, [that's] a big difference."

Gotze returned to Dortmund for a second spell in a £20million deal during the summer.

Gotze received a hug from Tuchel during the win over Bayern

However, it hasn't been plain sailing on his return, with the 24-year-old scoring just once in 13 games so far.

Another big-money summer signing, Andre Schurrle, has also struggled for consistency, but Tuchel says he retains confidence that both German internationals will come good at the Westfalenstadion.

Schurrle has also struggled so far at BVB

"There is no one reason for this: both of them have arrived late [from the close-season break following Euro 2016], then came to a new team.

"Andre Schurrle started well but then he was injured for four weeks, and Mario had hoped that he would adjust quickly in a familiar environment.

"We hoped that they could get a quick start, but we also planned that it could take a long time.

"Expectations are very high for both of them [but] they have our confidence as long as they continue to give it their all."