Germany coach gives no guarantees to Manuel Neuer in regaining his starting position

German veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (37 years old) will not be guaranteed to regain his starting position in his national team amid fierce competition from Barcelona's German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, as hinted by the national team coach Hansi Flick in an interview with "Kicker" magazine.

Flick said, "I and all Germans hope to see Manuel Neuer back as we all know him."

He added, "Regarding the national team, we must say that Marc-André ter Stegen is decisive with Barcelona and has done good things with us," casting a significant question mark on Manuel's chances of returning to his starting position.

Neuer suffered a serious injury with a broken leg after a skiing accident in December last year and was absent for the rest of the season. He was hoping to be physically ready for Bayern Munich's preparations for the new season, but he missed the team's mid-July camp and trained individually during it. He also missed the team's recent Asian tour.

The German national team is facing a real crisis after being eliminated from the group stage in the last World Cup in Qatar. It is worth noting that Germany will host the European Cup in the summer of 2024 and will participate in the final as the host country, playing a total of 15 friendly matches.

The German national team achieved disappointing results during the last international window in March and June, suffering three defeats against Belgium 2-3, Colombia 0-2, and Poland 0-1. They also had one draw against Ukraine 3-3 and achieved only one victory against Peru 2-0.

These results have increased the pressure on Flick, knowing that the German Football Association renewed its trust in him until the European Cup after the World Cup failure.

Flick said about the continental finals, "As the host country, we cannot say that we want to go beyond the group stage. I no longer want to lose matches; it bothers me. I want to win."

The German national team will play two friendly matches in September, the first on the 9th against Japan in Wolfsburg, and the second on the 12th against France in Dortmund.

Flick concluded, saying, "Preparations for the European Cup start now."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP