The old saying goes that when one door closes, another one opens.
That was definitely the case on the German national team for Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can and Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlović.
When yet another bout with tonsillitis sidelined Pavlović for the EURO 2024 tournament, it allowed Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann to call in Can, who promptly scored a goal in the team’s 5-1 victory over Scotland on Friday.
“I’m really sorry for him and wish him a quick recovery. The boy would definitely have deserved to be here. I don’t know him personally, but I heard that he’s a great guy. I think he will play a lot of tournaments in the future. I’ll speak to him after the tournament,” Can said.
For Pavlović, there was a bit of a silver lining to his massive disappointment at having to miss the tourney. The 19-year-old was able to ink a new five-year deal with Bayern Munich on Sunday, which should set him up nicely for the immediate future.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s massive EURO 2024-opening win over Scotland? Good, because the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show has you covered! We’ve got takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s lineup, the brilliance of Toni Kroos, Germany’s relentless attack, and why Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are probably winning over a lot of new fans. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: