Injuries, retirements rush Germany into new phase of post-Euro rebuild

DUSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Florian Wirtz is only 21 and he's already one of the most experienced players in a new-look Germany team.

As Germany switches focus to the 2026 World Cup, injuries, retirements and a short-term focus on Euro 2024 have left it with a Nations League squad that lacks international experience but isn't especially young either.

Wirtz, the star attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, is the second youngest player in the squad but also the fifth most experienced player on 25 caps, as Germany prepares to play Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday and the Netherlands on Monday.

None of the three goalkeepers in the squad — Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nubel and Oliver Blaswich — have ever played for Germany. With Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen injured for months to come, one of them will have to step up.

Six of coach Julian Nagelsmann's preferred players were unavailable with injuries as of Tuesday; Leipzig left back David Raum the latest to drop out. New faces such as Jamie Leweling, Jonny Burkardt and Tim Kleindienst are Bundesliga regulars but untested at international level.

"Though it's a shame that this time we have to do without some injured regulars who contributed through the home Euros in the summer, we're very much looking forward to seeing our new players in the team environment and in training," coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Monday in remarks reported by dpa.

Even before Bayern's Jamal Musiala, Arsenal's Kai Havertz and West Ham's Niclas Fullkrug all dropped out injured, Germany's squad was looking threadbare after a spate of high-profile retirements following the run to the quarterfinals at Euro 2024.

Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Ilkay Gundogan and Thomas Muller called time on Germany after Euro 2024, taking a combined 451 caps' worth of experience with them.

There's a wider effect, too, from the pressure Germany felt to succeed when it hosted Euro 2024.

Short-term thinking was Germany's official policy when Nagelsmann was appointed last year on a contract that ran only through to Euro 2024, and he focused on getting a misfiring group of experienced players to gel again. Nagelsmann later extended his stay through to the 2026 World Cup.

Germany can usually count on Musiala and Wirtz, two of the brightest young talents in world soccer, but other young players once hyped as Germany's future have yet to break through.

Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi has lacked consistency and had injury problems. Striker Youssoufa Moukoko and defender Armel Bella-Kotchap were Adeyemi's teammates at the 2022 World Cup but haven't been selected since. Progress seems to have stalled for 21-year-old forward Maximilian Beier since he joined Dortmund this season, too.

One player who'll be expected to perform against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands is Bayern forward Serge Gnabry, back in the team after 11 months away.

In a sign of how much things have changed, Gnabry’s 22 international goals mean he's scored more for Germany than everyone else in the squad put together.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer