Tim Kleindienst not disappointed after omission from Germany squad | OneFootball

Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Tim Kleindienst doesn’t feel any disappointment after being omitted from Julian Nagelsmann’s 26-man Germany squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I’ve always said that getting a rejection is normal,” Kleindienst explained to Bild. “If I had gone, that would have been truly exceptional. If I had played two of three more games, it would have been a different story.”

Kleindienst is, of course, referring to his comeback on Matchday 34. The 30-year-old made his long-awaited return against Hoffenheim on the final day of the season after a six-month injury layoff having undergone surgery on his knee. With just six minutes of Bundesliga action across three matches, a World Cup nomination was always going to be nigh on impossible for the Gladbach forward.

“I can understand his decision,” added Kleindienst. “The fact that I was even still in the running to go is very valuable to me. It proves that I probably didn’t make the worst impression beforehand.”

With four goals in six appearances for Germany, Kleindienst believes he still has a future with the national team. “I’d be stupid to say that my DFB career is over now,” he added. “It’s simply a matter of continuing to perform and that’s less dependent of age. You can and should rely on young players but in my opinion, every team should have a certain average age.

“If you then meet the profile that the national coach wants, anything is possible.

“I hope that the topic of the national team isn’t over for me yet.”

GGFN | Daniel Pinder