The 21-year-old from Bundesliga club Rhein-Neckar Löwen was not part of the squad for the European Championship in January. “Juri doesn’t play much at the moment – and if he does, then more in the left backcourt than in the middle. But he’s not out of focus. However, he has to stabilize his performance.”said national coach Alfred Gislason.
Corona vaccination refused
Knorr, who made his debut in the DHB selection against Bosnia-Herzegovina in November 2020 and was at both the World Cup and the Olympic Games last year, is considered a beacon of hope in the playmaker position. He was not an option for the EM because he refused a corona vaccination for personal reasons. Only vaccinated players were allowed to enter the finals in Slovakia and Hungary.
Kromer: “Must recommend”
Sports director Axel Kromer emphasized, however, that Knorr would not have automatically played at the European Championship regardless of this. “One of the decisive factors was of course his vaccination status. But we also said at the time that he didn’t show the performance that would have automatically brought him into the squad for the European Championship. It’s still the case now. Juri has to see that he increases his game shares in the club and recommends himself for the national team again”Kromer said.
The squad of the national handball team
Goal: Till Klimpke (HSG Wetzlar), Andreas Wolff (Vive Kielce/Poland)
Field: Timo Kastening (MT Melsungen), Lukas Zerbe (TBV Lemgo Lippe), Marcel Schiller (Frisch Auf Göppingen), Lukas Mertens (SC Magdeburg), Jannik Kohlbacher (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Tim Zechel (HC Erlangen), Philipp Weber (SC Magdeburg), Luca Witzke (SC DHfK Leipzig), Julian Köster (VfL Gummersbach), Sebastian Heymann (Frisch Auf Göppingen), Veit Mävers (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), Simon Ernst (SC DHfK Leipzig ), Julius Kühn (MT Melsungen), Kai Häfner (MT Melsungen), Djibril M’Bengue (FC Porto/Portugal), Fabian Wiede (Füchse Berlin)
Source: dpa