As Julian Nagelsmann announced before the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia, Niclas Füllkrug is out with muscle problems. The national coach has already responded to the loss.
Even before the start of this World Cup qualifier, Julian Nagelsmann has lost a selected player – Niclas Füllkrug. The striker from Premier League club West Ham United missed the away game in Slovakia (kick-off at 8:45 p.m.) due to “minor muscle problems” in his left calf.
The DFB announced that there was no structural injury and that it was a precautionary measure. A few minutes before kickoff in Bratislava, the national coach told ARD: “It’s just a stupid spot in the calf with too much risk.”
The national coach has already responded to the injury by calling up Maximilian Beier, who will arrive on Thursday evening. The BVB pro last played for his country a year ago in the Nations League against Hungary (5-0) and the Netherlands (2-2), and now fills the gap left by Füllkrug in the DFB squad.
Füllkrug is not the first national player to drop out of Nagelsmann’s squad. Before the center forward, Kai Havertz (Arsenal) and Tim Kleindienst (Gladbach) had already had to withdraw, and Bayern offensive player Jamal Musiala is still out of action after his serious ankle injury. The national coach did not nominate Leroy Sané, who has moved to Galatasaray.