National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has not yet written off the injured national soccer players Giulia Gwinn and Linda Dallmann for the World Cup in the summer.
“It would not be wise to say there is no chance,” said the 55-year-old in a video link about the Bayern Munich duo. “We are in constant contact with both of them. But of course the focus is now on the health process.”
23-year-old Gwinn is undergoing a rehabilitation program after tearing her cruciate ligament last October. The defender was a regular player at the 2022 European Championships in England and one of the outstanding forces in the team of runners-up European champions. The 28-year-old Dallmann was used in all six tournament games, and the attacker was substituted on five times. She suffered a syndesmosis ligament tear four weeks ago.
National coach reminds of Hegering and Popp
Both Dallmann and Gwinn are no longer scheduled for games at FC Bayern this season. The DFB women will complete two training camps in Herzogenaurach from the end of June, before which at least the provisional World Cup squad will be nominated. The departure for Australia is on July 11, where the German team meets Morocco, Colombia and South Korea in the preliminary round.
In connection with the two Munich players, Voss-Tecklenburg also recalled Marina Hegering and Alexandra Popp (both VfL Wolfsburg). Hegering had traveled to England with very little match practice and had risen to the position of head of defence. Captain Popp fought back after a long injury break and even became a German EM star. “Back then, no one was counting on Marina or Alex getting in shape for the European Championship,” said the national coach.