Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel knows the difficulties awaiting him in trying to replace departing captain Mats Hummels.
Hummels, 27, confirmed on Tuesday he will join Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
Tuchel says it will be hard to fill the defender's void, but is confident he can find a suitable successor.
"It's not possible to find a like-for-like replacement for Mats," he told a news conference on Friday.
"Mats' successor will have other strengths. I am sure they will succeed."
Dortmund are preparing for their final league game of the season against Cologne on Saturday.
However, Tuchel insists he has no plans to rest players ahead of his side's DFB-Pokal final against Bayern on May 21.
While Hummels is leaving, one player who has agreed to come the other way is highly-rated Rennes forward Ousmane Dembele, signing a five-year deal at Signal Iduna Park.
Tuchel says he is thrilled with the signing and hopes the 18-year-old shines in Germany.
"I'm over the moon with the signing of Dembele and I can't wait to work with him," he said. "We're very excited for his arrival.
"He is a very technically gifted player and a big goal threat. We worked very hard to get him."
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- Goal