Manuel Neuer has returned to goalkeeper-specific training which along with a 4-0 win over Finland should give Germany a real feel-good atmosphere when they set off to the World Cup on Tuesday.
Bayern Munich’s Neuer, 40, sustained a calf muscle injury in the May 16 Bundesliga finale. He missed the German Cup final a week later and Sunday’s tune-up against Finland.
While intensifying his training on Monday, Neuer did not feature in a training match between Germany’s and Finland’s reserves over 2×25 minutes which Germany edged 1-0.
The latest developments could mean that Neuer can feature in Germany’s last tune-up game on Saturday against the United States in Chicago.
The 2014 World Cup winner has 124 caps and retired from the national team after Euro 2024.
He was now recalled by coach Julian Nagelsmann and named first choice between the posts for the June 11-July 19 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.
The first World Cup game is on June 14 against Curaçao, with Ivory Coast and Ecuador the other group stage opponents.
Nagelsmann appears to have found the majority of his starting 11 for the big tournament, which could possibly include Bayern teenager Lennart Karlk and Eintracht Frankfurt left back Nathaniel Brown, who both impressed on Sunday.
Nagelsmann said that Brown has “huge potential” but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to dethrone Leipzig veteran David Raum.
Karl is fighting for the third creative spot alongside Sunday’s scorers Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz against Leroy Sané, and Nagelsmann stopped short of saying Karl had edged ahead after his first start.
“We’ll see how that goes over the next week and a half. A lot has happened for him over the last few months – coming to terms with that is one of the biggest challenges at his age,” he said.
“He’s done well, making space for others. But you all saw Leroy Sané come on as a substitute too – that was brilliant. He brings an incredible energy.”
Aleksandar Pavlovic and Felix Nmecha seemed to have cemented their place in central midfield, captain Joshua Kimmich is the undisputed right back while Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah form the central defence.
Deniz Undav scored a brace and had an assist on Sunday but will not get past Kai Havertz, who joins the squad on Tuesday in Chicago after playing, and scoring, for Arsenal in Saturday’s Champions League final they lost against Paris Saint-Germain.
“We need Kai; his goal in the Champions League final was exceptional. You could see just how important he is, his hard work in defence, and his incredible heading ability, even when defending set pieces,” Nagelsmann said.
“He’s a great lad, a really good guy and a top player. He’ll put in some great performances.”
Germany have garnered eight straight victories after losing their first qualifier 2-0 against Slovakia in September and Nagelsmann named the run “not so bad” and added that “we can continue in that way.”
But he is not getting carried away, with the first aim simply avoiding a third straight group stage exit.
“We really want to take it step by step, rather than just talking about the big picture – especially internally,” Nagelsmann said.
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“We’ve got so many good footballers. We’re always up for it – sometimes even a bit too much. We’ve got the ability to score goals all the time,” he said.
Nagelsmann said it is now important to have a good showing against the US on Saturday “to really arrive at the tournament.”
Kimmich also urged a confirmation of the latest results, saying: “We need to build on that approach against the US; then we’ll be well prepared.”
By Klaus Bergmann, Eric Dobias and Arne Richter, dpa
