Manuel Neuer has remained adamant that he was going to stay true to his word and stay retired from the German national team, but the veteran Bayern Munich keeper has been nominated for Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad for this summer. For months leading up to the end of Bayern’s season, pundits and press members had been pestering Neuer with the question of whether or not he’d come out of retirement if he was asked to for the World Cup, and now it’s proven to be a valid question despite how annoyed
the keeper would get when hewas asked it.
As things stand, in addition to Neuer, Nagelsmann is slated to bring along Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann, VfB Stuttgart loanee Alexander Nübel and Jonas Urbig as a “training goalkeeper” in his World Cup roster for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Neuer still has the small matter of the DFB-Pokal final with Bayern to get through before linking up with the national team ahead of their tuneup friendlies against Finland and the United States, so a lot can certainly happen with regards to his most recent calf problem.
Nagelsmann’s Neuer decision has naturally been met with a great deal of skepticism from Germany fans less than one month away from the start of the World Cup. In a recent poll run by Bild (via @iMiaSanMia), 59% of participants said that they would prefer to see Baumann start at the tournament over Neuer. The poll received at least 160,000 votes, so it’s clear that the majority of fans feel the Hoffenheim keeper is better equipped to be the main man for Nagelsmann this summer, but the manager has insisted that the plan is for Neuer to be his number one.
Of course, it’s Nagelsmann’s decision to make, so long as Neuer agrees, and he knows as Die Mannschaft manager and having previously managed Bayern that you have to live and die by the sword. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t works quite well for this scenario, but it’s clear that Nagelsmann genuinely feels Neuer still has what it takes to be the best man for Germany on the world’s stage and he has ample backup right behind him should injuries arise.
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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