There was a theory floating that once Manuel Neuer decided to extend his Bayern Munich contract for one more season that the veteran also made his mind up to return to Germany.
That might not exactly be the case.
Per Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), “key national team players” made a push to head coach Julian Nagelsmann for Neuer to return to the squad for the World Cup. In addition, the player’s family also gave him the blessing to return:
Key national team players
strongly advocated for Manuel Neuer’s World Cup call up to Julian Nagelsmann. Neuer’s performances in the Champions League reinforced the arguments of his Germany teammates. His Bayern teammates urged him to reconsider his retirement from the national team. Neuer’s family also encouraged him, giving their approval for both another season with Bayern and a potential World Cup appearance.
Dating back to their days together at Bayern Munich, Nagelsmann and Neuer were rumored to have a strained relationship — something that harkens back to Nagelsmann sacking Neuer’s preferred goalkeeper coach, Toni Tapalović. Some stories have recently broken indicating that there is no rift — or at least no longer a rift — which points to the suddenly open line of communication between Nagelsmann and Neuer:
This new direction regarding Neuer was then communicated to the DFB. Up to that point, there had been little to no contact between Nagelsmann and Neuer for a long time. Then phone calls have become more frequent, and the idea of a comeback was discussed between the two sides, as well as internally at the DFB. The national team coaching staff was in agreement that Neuer’s willingness to play in the World Cup opened up a new option for them. Ultimately, the decision was made to bring him back as #1.
While there has not been a formal announcement as of yet, things certainly seem like they are trending for Neuer to make his long-anticipated return to the German national team.
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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