Manuel Neuer's potential return to the German national team for the World Cup is crucial due to injuries among other goalkeepers. His experience and skill could provide Germany with a much-needed advantage in the tournament.
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Manuel Neuer asked about the national team/World Cup: “Ask the coach. For me this is not a topic right now. The focus is on the DFB Pokal final”
• Is a comeback ruled out or not? Neuer: “Not a topic right now” However, despite Neuer’s repeated reluctance, reports broke that Nagelsmann is, indeed, calling up Neuer to go to North America for the tournament. Here are three reasons why Neuer should consider one last dance with Germany for the World Cup.
Germany needs Neuer for his unmatched experience and skill, especially with injuries sidelining other key goalkeepers.
Manuel Neuer has not confirmed his participation in the World Cup but reports suggest he may be called up by coach Julian Nagelsmann.
The other goalkeepers include Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel, and Jonas Urbig, but they lack the experience needed for such a high-stakes tournament.
No, only Franz Beckenbauer has won the World Cup twice, once as a player and once as a manager; Neuer could be the first to win it twice as a player.
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Marc-André ter Stegen is ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Oliver Baumann is the most experienced keeper in Germany’s camp with all of 11 appearances for the senior team. The backups to him are unfortunately far from convincing in terms of experience and injuries. Alexander Nübel and Jonas Urbig are decent options but the lack of experience and fear of injuries will always be looming over Nagelsmann’s head. Even minor injuries could prove to be fatal for Germany as Urbig has been injured thrice this season. With such a precarious situation, Neuer is badly needed by his countrymen to bring unmatchable experience, a sense of reassurance and to keep the injury odds somewhat more favorable than it currently is.
Only the legendary Franz Beckenbauer has won the World Cup twice, albeit once as a player in 1974 and once as a manager in 1990. Manuel Neuer will be the only one from 2014’s World Champion team to represent Germany in USA should he choose to return to *Die Mannschaft*. While Germany are not favorites by any means, this tournament has a knack of churning up unexpected favorites every single time. It may be a far shot looking at it from this particular angle, but it is a shot nonetheless and Germany has top talent to make their mark. *If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…*
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