MCCLAREN UPBEAT DESPITE DZEKO'S EXIT

WOLFSBURG'S coach, Steve McClaren, believes that the sale of Edin Dzeko to Manchester City is a blessing in disguise for his team.

Though the Wolves have lost a man who scored 66 goals in 111 games for them and won the Bundesliga golden boot last season, McClaren expects his team to be better off without him. He told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper: 'I have already seen other players take on more responsibility.'

Dzeko is the Wolves' top goalscorer this season with 10 goals, but speculation surrounding his future, which had endured all year, may well have been an unsettling influence in the dressing room. Now the Bosnian striker has gone, the rest members of the team have the chance to prove their point, according to the English coach, who added: 'The players no longer need to hide in Edin's shadow.'

Wolfsburg's first game of 2011 is against Bayern Munich next weekend and McClaren is set to name 2009 Bundesliga top goalscorer, Grafite, and the hitherto luckless Mario Mandzukic in his attack.

The Croatian striker is yet to find the back of the net in 13 games for the Wolves since arriving from Dinamo Zagreb last summer, but Dzeko's departure could be his chance to show his true worth.