The German national team will have to do without attacker Niclas Füllkrug (30) for their two upcoming international test matches. The goal scorer will return to Dortmund on Thursday
The fears of national coach Hansi Flick have come true. Niclas Füllkrug will miss the two upcoming test internationals against Japan on Saturday in Wolfsburg and against France next Tuesday – in Dortmund of all places.
Flick officially announced on Tuesday shortly before the start of team training that the goal scorer, who had just switched to BVB, was still struggling with a thigh injury and would leave the national team’s headquarters in Wolfsburg on Thursday.
As a precaution, Flick had nominated Bayern professional Thomas Müller on Monday. The 2014 World Cup winner was supposed to act as a back-up for Füllkrug, but will now possibly play an even bigger role. For Müller, it is his return to the national team after a nine-month absence. After the Gladbach game, he was still very “relaxed” about not being nominated.
Fillkrug was also calm and cautiously optimistic on Monday. “It’s not that dramatic,” he said right at the start of the press conference when a reporter asked him about the injury: “We have to see. That’s why I travelled here.”
There would have been a chance that Füllkrug could have been used for the match against the runners-up France in Dortmund. However, a different decision was made within the team, with Füllkrug leaving early. Further talks with the team doctor announced on Monday also led to this.
Füllkrug will therefore not be able to build on his remarkable record: In nine international matches so far, the new Dortmund man has scored seven goals.
