Bayern club-captain Philipp Lahm has insisted that the team cannot afford to dwell on losing midfielder Toni Kroos to the UCL defending champions Real Madrid, if they are to move forward this season and bounce back from their embarrassing defeat back in the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

Kroos joined Real for a transfer fee of £25million pounds in July a week after Germany won the World Cup, where he impressed in a team alongside the likes of Lahm and other former team-mates. And he has already settled into the midfield line for Ancelotti's side - with Guardiola replacing him with Real's experienced central midfielder Xabi Alonso, for a reported fee of £5million after rumours suggesting that he was unable with the lack of first-team action he was guaranteed in the future.

Alonso's arrival in Germany has been a shrewd deal, and for £5million it looks like a real steal as he has already settled in well and is an example of hard-work and dedication to the rest of his new team-mates.

Lahm had this to say to Kicker: "I'm not sad that Toni's gone - that's football. Players come and players go and I've been around long enough not to let the sale of players get me down, even if Toni is an excellent player. With Martinez, Thiago and Schweinsteiger all injured we needed him (Alonso)."

Bayern are up against the defending EPL champions Manchester City tomorrow night, and will be hoping for a perfect start to the 2014-15 Champions League campaign, after beating Stuttgart 2-0 in the Bundesliga on the weekend.

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Mosope Ominiyi
Writer and editor - European football analyst, youth enthusiast. Email: [email protected]