Injury instead of an international comeback: Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tore a muscle fiber in his left thigh during national team training.
Injury instead of an international comeback: Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tore a muscle fiber in his left thigh during training with the national soccer team and will be out of the European Championship test matches on Saturday against France and three days later against the Netherlands. The DFB announced this on Wednesday afternoon (March 20, 2024).
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Expect a chance for ter Stegen
The 37-year-old had already left the team hotel in Gravenbruch near Frankfurt. According to dpa information, national coach Julian Nagelsmann wanted to name the FC Bayern Munich goalkeeper his number one for the home European Championships in the summer.
It was unclear who would be in goal against France and the Netherlands. In the hierarchy of goalkeepers still present, Marc-André ter Stegen is the expected deputy. The 31-year-old from FC Barcelona was his first substitute in Neuer’s absence after he broke his leg in the winter of 2022 and had hopes of becoming the starting goalkeeper at the European Championships in the summer.
Leno and Baumann also in the squad
In addition to ter Stegen, the current squad also includes Bernd Leno from FC Fulham and Oliver Baumann from TSG Hoffenheim. The 37-year-old Neuer and ter Stegen, who is six years his junior, have been competitors in the DFB selection for twelve years. Both have been among the world‘s best goalkeepers for years.
After DFB regular goalkeeper Neuer’s serious skiing accident following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the time seemed to have come for ter Stegen. Now Neuer’s comeback in the DFB jersey was actually imminent – and again as number one with an eye on the home European Championship.
Duration of outage still open
After his return to the Bayern goal almost six months ago, the ambitious newcomer also set his sights on taking part in the home European Championships. “I’m concentrating on myself, on my performance and will give my all again for the national team,” he said last weekend about his ambitions for a comeback as number one and added: “The coach will then decide.”
It is uncertain how long Neuer will have to take a break. However, he is unlikely to be available to Bayern beyond the international break. The first game is on March 30th in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund. The quarter-final first leg of the Champions League will take place at Arsenal FC in London on April 9th.