David Alaba has praised Mario Gotze's work ethic and backed his former Bayern Munich teammate to emerge stronger after a difficult start to his second spell at Borussia Dortmund.
Gotze, 24, returned to Dortmund in the summer after three largely unsuccessful seasons alongside the Austria international in Bavaria. However, the 2014 World Cup-winning goal scorer has so far struggled to fulfil expectations back at BVB -- with only a single goal and assist in his 10 Bundesliga appearances so far this season.
Despite his struggles in Bavaria, Gotze won three straight Bundesliga titles and two domestic doubles in his three seasons under Pep Guardiola's tutelage.
"Mario is an unbelievably good player who's determined on and off the pitch," Alaba told Sport1.
"He works a great deal on himself as a person. He's also very positive and always in a good mood. He became a good friend of mine at Bayern."
Alaba added: "At Bayern, he also performed well -- scoring goals and providing assists when given the chance. He's showing that at Dortmund too.
"He was always one of the first to arrive at training here. He's hungry for success. He always worked hard and wants to develop further. He always showed that here."