“Incredibly bitter”
Nagelsmann reacts to ter Stegen’s renewed injury
02/03/2026 – 4:38 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Marc-André ter Stegen is out injured again – and the World Cup is getting closer and closer. Nevertheless, national coach Julian Nagelsmann stands by his goalkeeper.
After the next setback for Marc-André ter Stegen, the national coach speaks out. Julian Nagelsmann demonstratively supports the national goalkeeper after his new injury.
Nagelsmann said on Tuesday in response to a SID request: “This is really incredibly bitter. Marc was just back and on a really good path, we were really looking forward to his return to the national team. At the moment, the only thing that matters is getting healthy, in peace and without pressure. We are all behind him.”
Ter Stegen suffered a muscle injury in his left thigh in his club FC Girona’s game against Real Oviedo (0-1) last Saturday. This means he is out of the upcoming international matches against Switzerland in Basel on March 27th and against Ghana in Stuttgart on March 30th. Nagelsmann continued: “Now we have to continue to do without him. But for Marc personally, this setback is of course much harder.”
It is unclear how long the 33-year-old will have to take a break. Girona said on Monday: “The player will undergo further medical examinations to confirm the diagnosis and determine the prognosis.” Ter Stegen is currently on loan from champions Barça to the league rivals in order to gain match practice with a view to the World Cup (June 11th to July 19th) in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Nagelsmann and DFB sports director Rudi Völler had recently emphasized several times that exactly this match practice was necessary so that Ter Stegen could be in goal at the World Cup. The renewed injury is part of a difficult phase. As a long-time challenger to Manuel Neuer, he only took over the number one position after his resignation from the national team after the 2024 European Championship. Since then, however, injuries and his situation at Barça have determined the path of the 44-time national player.
In ter Stegen’s absence, he was represented by Oliver Baumann from Hoffenheim. However, the discussions about a possible return of Neuer never completely stopped.
