Bungert affirms commitment to Widmer: "Doing a fantastic job as captain."

Swiss international Silvan Widmer's inability to break into Bo Henriksen's XI at FSV Mainz 05 has fueled speculation that the 31-year-old skipper might count as a piece of "dead-weight" needed to be moved this winter. FSV sporting director Niko Bungert - as quoted by German footballing journalist Michael Ebert of Kicker Magazine - nevertheless wished to emphasize that this was not the case. 

Mainz parted company with a long-term valued member of the squad yesterday when striker Karim Onisiwo was permitted to move to Salzburg. Bungert noted that, unlike Onisiwo, Widmer had expressed no wish to leave despite his inability to get playing time. Despite the fact that he's only logged 176 minutes in twelve league appearances this year, Bungert insisted Widmer's leadership skills were valued. 

"He's doing a fantastic job of fulfilling his role as captain despite everything," Bungert said. "He's positive and doesn't let himself get down. He's a role model even though he's not on the pitch every week." 

"Having him is a luxury," Bungert continued. "He's not signaled that he wishes to leave and I'm convinced he'll continue to push himself to get into the team."