Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka were the notable absentees from Germany’s preliminary squad for Euro 2024, announced this afternoon by coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Although neither’s exclusion was a surprise, Hummels’ recent form – he was the player of the match in both legs of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final defeat of Paris Saint-Germain – meant he was thrust into the conversation.
As it was, Nagelsmann preferred the likes of Jonathan Tan, Robin Koch, Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck in the centre of defence as he plots to claim the trophy on home soil.
He also selected four goalkeepers in a 27-man squad. That will have to be trimmed to 26 prior to the tournament but Nagelsmann revealed he would not be cutting a goalkeeper.
Unser Kader für die #EURO2024 in Deutschland! 🇩🇪
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— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) May 16, 2024
He said: “We have nominated four goalkeepers and we will go with four to the tournament.
“Why four keepers? You can have goalkeepers in training as well and Manuel [Neuer] does not always have to do it. We can control training and spread the load.
“That means 22 outfield players. I can live with that very well. We can still do proper training with at least 20 outfield players if some are missing.”
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos was included, having reversed his decision to retire from international football, alongside fellow 2014 World Cup winners Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer.
Germany open the tournament against Scotland on June 14. They also face Hungary and Switzerland in Group A.
