“Ideal squad in my head, but…”
©IMAGO
After successful World Cup qualification, Julian Nagelsmann expects Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Marc-André ter Stegen to return soon. However, the national coach cannot give his long-injured national team regulars a guarantee that they will be nominated for the World Cup.
“Of course we have the ideal squad in mind, but there are so many factors that we cannot determine,” said Nagelsmann after the 6-0 win against Slovakia at the end of the World Cup qualification.
“I can’t say now, I’m committed to Kai and Jamal playing the main role for us and then they’re not there at all. We’ve had that for almost twelve months with one or the other,” the 38-year-old said, referring to the long downtime of several players.
Havertz without DFB appearance in 2025
Bayern professional Musiala has been missing from the national coach since he badly broke his leg at the Club World Cup in the summer. Havertz from Arsenal FC did not play an international match in all of 2025 after various injuries. Most recently he had to have surgery on his knee.
Nagelsmann expects both players to return this year. “Kai had a small relapse, but he’s doing well,” said the DFB head coach. Despite the problems, he believes that Havertz, “if everything goes well, will be able to play again towards the end of the year.” The same applies to Musiala at FC Bayern.
“With us they have time to get healthy again until March, but of course they have to become stable now,” said Nagelsmann. He is also confident about the recovery of Real defender Antonio Rüdiger. The same applies to ter Stegen, who also has to fight for a regular place as a goalkeeper at FC Barcelona or possibly another club.
World Cup squad expected in May
Nagelsmann will probably announce his World Cup squad in mid-May around the last Bundesliga matchday (May 16th). He will probably have to submit his final World Cup squad with 26 players to FIFA at the beginning of June.
“We always have to leave a few doors open in order to react to things,” said Nagelsmann. He could only promise “that we will try to make the best selection, that the best players will also fly to the USA,” he said.