Former FIFA World Cup winner and the fourth most-capped player for Germany national team Thomas Müller will not feature in any parts of Hansi Flick’s squad in two upcoming international breaks. 58-year-old Flick confirmed his decision to leave the forward out for Die Mannschaft in the near future, following a discussion with the player himself. Nonetheless, the Heidelberg-born manager, who coached Müller in Bayern Munich, does not rule out a possible return for the 33-year-old later, explaining that he wants to give more opportunities for younger players.
44 Goals in 121 Appearances for Die Mannschaft
Thomas Müller made his international debut back in 2010 and accumulated a total of 121 caps for his country, making him the joint fourth most capped player in Germany. Over a decade of appearances also saw the versatile footballer, who can be deployed in numerous positions namely centre forward, second striker, winger, attacking midfielder, etc., managed to score 44 goals. This staggering tally put him among the greats in Germany’s all-time top scoring list, with only Miroslav Klose, Gerd Müller, Lukas Podolski, Rudi Völler, Jürgen Klinsmann and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had scored more.
10 Goals in FIFA World Cup
Müller’s time with Germany was coloured with triumphant moments, especially during the first few years. In his inaugural appearance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals, the Weilheim in Oberbayern-born star scored five goals in South Africa, before matching the same goal scoring statistics in Brazil four years later, leading his country to a record fourth FIFA World Cup trophy. However, ever since the victory over Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Germany’s luck in the quadrennial tournament had vanished, with successful early exits during the group stage in Russia and Qatar.
Missing Against Belgium and Peru, Neuer Not Guaranteed to Start Either
Müller’s exclusion from the German squad in the next international break meant he will not be playing against the likes of Belgium and Peru in Germany’s international friendlies, but head coach Hansi Flick had reiterated that the curtains are not closed for Müller’s return to the team.
He said: “I discussed with Thomas that he will not be called up to the games in March and June. I want to give younger players a chance with the national team. But that doesn’t mean that his Germany career is over or that he won’t play a role at the Euros. He sees things the way I do. As a national team player, you don’t retire. You either get a call-up or you don’t, and he’s now on hold until the summer. Why would I shut the door on a player like that forever? Look at his current importance for Bayern. He’s totally important again, and I’m very happy for him.”
As for Germany’s long-time first-choice goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, who is out for the rest of the season due to an injury suffered during his bizarre skiing trip after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, might lose his starting position to shotstoppers like Marc-André ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp. Flick would hope that the Bayern Munich no. 1, who made his international debut back in 2009 and grabbed 117 caps for his country, can return to 100% once he has finished nursing the injury.
Peru on 25th March, Belgium Three Days Later
Clubs will be going on an international break next week, and Germany will kickstart the break with a friendly against Peru at the end of this month, followed by a clash with the Red Devils approximately 70 hours afterwards. The 58-year-old manager stressed about the importance of bringing in young players for Die Mannschaft’s future major tournaments, stating that “We will make sure to have some new players with us. It will be interesting to see some of the youngsters. We want to use the team from now until the Euros to test young players”. Several young German players that will be guaranteed with chances to shine in these games include Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Karim Adeyemi and Youssoufa Moukoko.
Another young player, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho is likely to make his international debut for 2022 FIFA World Cup champion Argentina in the upcoming international break as well.
