Injured Barcelona captain still seen as national team’s No. 1 choice for World Cup | OneFootball

Even after Germany’s convincing 4-0 victory against Luxembourg in Friday’s World Cup qualifier, which included a clean sheet, the debate over who should be the starting goalkeeper for the national team remains open.

Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen had taken over the mantle of the No. 1 after UEFA Euro 2024, but an injury kept him out of action for large parts of the last season and the same scenario has repeated again this term.

Ter Stegen remains the first preference

According to BILD (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann is growing weary of the ongoing discussion, to the point that he has now delegated part of the decision-making to his assistant, Andreas Kronenberg.

Kronenberg proposes the names, and together they make the final choice.

And, as per the report, the name of Ter Stegen, who is recovering from a back injury, remains firmly on the table. His chances are fully intact because the manager continues to have confidence in him.

Recovering from back surgery. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

In fact, the report states that the national team manager has already chosen the Barcelona captain as his No. 1. He is closely monitoring the goalkeeper’s recovery and has advised him to build up playing time to ensure a solid return to full form.

At the same time, Nagelsmann himself has not ruled out the possible return of Manuel Neuer to the German national team.

Oliver Baumann (35), another experienced goalkeeper who started against Luxembourg, currently holds the position, although he has not fully convinced.

For Ter Stegen to cement his position as Germany’s No. 1 for the World Cup, he will need to play regularly once he returns from injury, at some point close to December.

But with no guarantees of him playing regularly at Barcelona, the possibility of a January exit remains on the table, although the player remains firm on wanting to stay at the club for now.