Ilkay Gündogan, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer. Veteran players of the sGerman selection who announced their retirement after the European Championship on home soil. Toni Kroos has even hung up his boots altogether. “The door is not closed for any of the four. If they show outstanding performances at the club, we need them,” Nagelsmann explained, referring to those who resigned.
The DFB team is still facing some turmoil. Although it was one of the longest-serving teams at the Euros, Nagelsmann must establish new hierarchies with a view to the 2026 World Cup. At the top of the list is the question of a new captain.
On Monday, the national team manager announced at a press conference ahead of the Nations League matches against Hungary (7 September) and the Netherlands (10 September) who will wear the DFB armband in the future. It is no surprise that Nagelsmann chose Joshua Kimmich.
“Josh in one and replacing Antonio Rüdiger and Kai Havertz,” announced Nagelsmann. There will also be a new team council. Only one of the three captains should be part of this committee, plus four other players: Jonathan Tah, Pascal Groß, Niclas Füllkrug and Marc-André ter Stegen.
The 29-year-old was already a substitute for Gündogan at the European Championship. With 91 international caps, Kimmich is a very experienced player and is also selected by Nagelsmann. The only question that remains is whether he will play as a right-back or central midfielder in the future.
“Marc-André ter Stegen is our clear number one,” Nagelsmann confirmed. He also confirmed that the Barcelona goalkeeper will succeed Manuel Neuer. However, the national team coach did not want to decide who would start the race for number two. In addition to Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nübel, there are a number of other candidates. “The competition is already open. The important thing is that the number one is clear,” Nagelsmann said.
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