The German star recently made no secret about his growing frustration with his team's performance this season.

Borussia Dortmund's struggles this season have certainly confounded both fans and the media. After all, it was not too long ago that die Schwarzgelben were narrowly defeated in the 2013 Champions League final by bitter rivals Bayern Munich. And domestically, despite having to settle for second-place behind die Roten in 2013 and 2014, in 2011 and 2012 they enjoyed dominance as Germany's best side.

Currently, they sit in the drop zone with a dismal 15 points from 17 games played. Only Freiburg are worse off, and the team that they tried in vain to beat to the Bundesliga title over the past two seasons are currently cruising with a mind-boggling 45 points. This means that Bayern, who still are the only unbeaten side in domestic competition in Europe's major leagues, have three times as many points as the team that at one point they succumbed their league crown to.

Well, the players themselves are growing frustrated, with Marco Reus dominating most of the headlines due to the 25-year-old star's refusing to commit to the strugglign club. But when your team's captain comes out and calls your performances "pathetic", then this will certainly cause people to sit up and take notice.

Mats Hummels, who was part of Germany's World Cup winning squad this summer, has been with Dortmund ever since being sent out on loan by Bayern Munich in the 2008-2009 season. However, with the likes of Manchester United circling, the 26-year-old, who is valued at £45 million by his club, will have certainly upset his team's fans with his recent harsh statements.

"We’ve managed pretty well at home in recent weeks, but not at all away," he stated after yet another disappointing loss, this time to Werder Bremen.

"[But, to be honest] it’s pretty astonishing that we are so pathetic."

With the January transfer window set to open in just a few weeks, and certainly the summer transfer one in a few months Hummels' statements could signal that the defender, who has been on Europe's biggest sides' radard for some time, could be yet another that says Auf Wiedersehen to Signal Iduna Park in favor of seemingly green pastures elsewhere.