Nathaniel Brown missed the final group stage match against Ecuador due to injury—but now the Frankfurt player is back and ready for Paraguay.
Due to adductor issues, Julian Nagelsmann had given Nathaniel Brown a rest against Ecuador. In the 1-2 loss, the Frankfurt player was replaced at left back by David Raum, who, however, failed to really impress, especially on defense.
Two days before the start of the knockout stage, however, the 23-year-old is back. Brown returned to the training field on Saturday at Spry Soccer Stadium in Winston-Salem and is therefore available to the national team coach for Monday’s World Cup Round of 32 match against Paraguay.
Apart from the injured Nico Schlotterbeck, Nagelsmann welcomed all 25 remaining players to the training field. “We all hope it works out,” sporting director Rudi Völler had said a few hours before the training session, referring to Brown, and described the left-back’s development as “breathtaking.”
Brown is having a strong season
Brown, who transferred to Eintracht Frankfurt from 1. FC Nürnberg in the 2nd Bundesliga in the summer of 2024, made 33 appearances for Eintracht in the just-concluded Bundesliga season, scoring four goals. This also piqued the interest of FC Bayern Munich, which has been sounding out the 23-year-old. Nothing has been finalized yet, but reports suggest the record champions have agreed with Eintracht on a transfer fee of 55 million euros.
Brown’s strong development did not go unnoticed by Nagelsmann. The 38-year-old coach took the left back to the World Cup and even started him in Germany’s opening match against Curaçao. In the 7-1 victory, he shone with a goal and an assist and earned a rating of 1.5. He also started in the second match against Ivory Coast (2-1).
The DFB team’s final training session will take place on Sunday morning (local time), before they board the FIFA charter flight to Boston for the Round of 32 match in Foxborough.