Germany star ruled out of World Cup after ankle ligament damage | OneFootball

Germany central defender Nico Schlotterbeck will miss the rest of the World Cup and will be sidelined for several months after picking up an ankle ligament injury in their 2-1 Group E victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday, the team said on Monday.

Schlotterbeck, a starting centre-back, was injured early in the game and was replaced at halftime by Antonio Rudiger. A scan on Sunday revealed the player had torn a ligament in his left ankle.

“Schlotterbeck suffered an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his left ankle…and will be out for several months. The defender of German runners-up Borussia Dortmund will, for the time being, remain with the team in the USA,” the team said in a statement.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann can no longer call up a player to replace him, with the tournament already under way.

“Schlotti will be greatly missed on the pitch as an outstanding defender, especially his excellent build-up play,” Nagelsmann said. “It could have been his World Cup. Yesterday, we all tried to lift his spirits – fortunately, he is a very positive character who is already looking ahead again.”

“It is a very positive sign that he will initially remain here within the team, because he also has an influence off the pitch. Despite his absence, we are still very well positioned in central defence for the World Cup with Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rediger, Waldemar Anton and Malick Thiaw,” the coach said.

The Germans, who have secured top spot in their group and have already advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years, face Ecuador in their final group match on Thursday.

While it is still too early to determine their opponents, it is highly likely that Nagelsmann will need to make some changes to his lineup for their last group match.

Striker Deniz Undav, who came on as a substitute against Ivory Coast and scored both goals for their comeback win, has now netted nine times in Germany’s last eight matches.

Nagelsmann, who has refused to start Undav for months despite his goal rate, said in March after he had again scored a last-gasp winner in their friendly match against Ghana that the forward would not have been as effective had he played from the start.

Nagelsmann apologised the next day for his comments, which were seen as disrespectful, but he again opted to leave Undav on the bench at the start of both World Cup matches. Undav now has three goals and delivered two assists to lead the scorers’ list in the tournament after also netting in Germany’s group-opening win over Curacao, and Nagelsmann seems to have run out of arguments.

With Undav expected to start against Ecuador, the question is who he will replace. The obvious choice would be fellow striker Kai Havertz in a direct change.

However, calls for playmaker Jamal Musiala to be benched have grown louder after a lacklustre performance and a substitution against Ivory Coast on the hour.

Musiala, who broke his leg last year and was sidelined for six months, has yet to rediscover his old form. Undav could slip into the starting lineup for him, playing behind Havertz in attack.

Nagelsmann said he was not planning to overhaul his lineup against Ecuador to rest players, saying the team would need to keep playing together to retain momentum. Germany are on an 11-match winning run.

“We will discuss this within the coaching staff and with (team director) Rudi Voeller,” Nagelsmann said. “I don’t believe in changing everything completely. We need to stay in our rhythm for the next challenge.”