Ter Stegen, Füllkrug and Gnabry return to Germany squad, Musiala out

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and West Ham forward Niclas Füllkrug have been included in the Germany squad for the Nations League Final Four.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann’s list announced on Thursday also included Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry. Antonio Rüdiger, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz were left out as they recover from injuries.

Nagelsmann said that the decision to leave out the trio was “extremely bitter,” but consistent from his point of view. All three players would have been available for short spells at most.

“And we also have to look further ahead,” Nagelsmann said with a view to the upcoming World Cup season.

The Nations League Final Four is on June 4-8 in Germany, with Nagelsmann’s team facing Portugal in the semi-finals.

“If we reach our top level, we can beat Portugal. That is our goal. We will put everything into it to make sure we reach the final in Munich,” the coach said.

Gnabry last played for the national team in November. He missed the Nations League quarter-final against Italy in March due to his inconsistent performances at Bayern.

Media reports on Wednesday said Gnabry was set to return to the team due to his improvement in performance.

Ter Stegen is returning after recovering from a serious knee injury, but it’s unclear whether he will take the position between the posts.

The Barcelona keeper was set to become Germany’s number one after Manuel Neuer retired from the national team after last summer’s Euro 2024.

But the knee injury suffered in September opened the door for Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nübel. Baumann started both matches against Italy in March.

Füllkrug last played for Germany in September and has since struggled with Achilles tendon problems, which had an impact on his form. But he was called up again in the absence of the injured Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst.

Florian Wirtz, Waldemar Anton and Felix Nmecha are also coming back.

As confirmed by under-21 coach Antonio di Salvo on Wednesday, VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade was called up to the Germany senior team for the first time.

Di Salvo had confirmed the move when naming his squad for the under-21 European championship.

Woltemade was also included in the U21 squad for the Euros in Slovakia on June 11-28, but has declared he has no objections to playing in both tournaments.

Hoffenheim’s Tom Bischof is surprisingly the second newcomer in the team.