For FC Barcelona keeper Marc-André ter Stegen, there could not have been a more heartbreaking script written. He suffered a significant knee injury in the club’s 5-1 win over Villarreal over the weekend and later tests have revealed that the German international has suffered a ruptured patella tendon. He will be sidelined for roughly seven to eight months for the Catalan club and we will now also be out of action for the German national team for a considerable spell.
Ter Stegen had only just become Germany’s number one keeper under Julian Nagelsmann after Manuel Neuer had announced his official retirement from international football after the European Championships. For so long, ter Stegen has waited for his time to have been passed the proverbial baton by Neuer, and so soon after that time has finally come, he has now experienced this incredible setback.
Despite the lengthy injury to the keeper that had been his long-time understudy with the national team, Neuer has already come out and quelled any suggestion that he might be considering coming out of retirement at least temporarily. Per information from Tz (via @iMiaSanMia), the Bayern Munich keeper is sticking to his guns and staying with the decision to stay retired. He does not want to make even a partial return at this point.
For now, Neuer’s full focus is with Bayern, who have had an impressive start to the season under new manager Vincent Kompany. From the Belgian’s perspective, he will take Neuer’s decision as welcome news since it negates the risk of injury while away on international duty and Bayern can consistently monitor his health and fitness. There has been more than one occasion where Neuer has previously been rushed back from injury prematurely to a costly outcome. Not having matches and trips with the German national team can certain alleviate that workload.
For now, Nagelsmann will likely have to go with Oliver Baumann and former Bayern keeper Alexander Nübel for the October international break next month. Kevin Trapp is also currently injured and Bernd Leno, who is another option, has not been a part of the national team squad for quite some time.
Why is Bayern Munich doing so much better under Vincent Kompany compared to Thomas Tuchel? What’s changed, and what does it say about the Tuchel era? And what should we expect for the upcoming game against Bayer Leverkusen? We discuss all that and more in our newest podcast episode! Listen to it below or on Spotify.
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