Füllkrug returns as Klopp hands wonderkid Mohya a Germany call-up for the Nations League
Klopp leans on Füllkrug's scoring form and hands a surprise call-up to 17-year-old Mohya in a 24-man squad for the clashes with Serbia and the Netherlands.
The return of striker Niclas Füllkrug to the Germany national team and the call-up of 17-year-old attacking midfielder Wael Mohya are the main novelties in the squad announced on Thursday by Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp for the upcoming Nations League matches.
In Klopp's 24-man squad, a notably smaller group than the one from last September when he called up 44 players in his debut as 'Die Mannschaft' coach, the bet on Füllkrug stands out.
The Werder Bremen striker is in great form with nine goals in eight league matches.
With those nine goals, Füllkrug, who made his international debut in 2022 but whose last appearance for Germany dates back to 2025, sits at the top of the scoring charts in the current Bundesliga season.
The 33-year-old German player accounts for more than half of his team's goals in the league (17).
Mohya, the young prospect, and the weight of Bayern Munich
In the Bundesliga, Bremen sit fifth with 15 points, close to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, who lead the German league with 18 points.
Among the players in Klopp's squad, young Mohya also stands out, a footballer who plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach, currently bottom of the German top flight, and who came through the youth ranks of the Germany national team.
From league leaders Bayern Munich, the coach has called up seven players, with Joshua Kimmich as the most-capped international (116).
The upcoming clashes and the squad list
At the squad presentation, the Germany coach said he is "really looking forward" to the team's next two Nations League matches, a competition in which Klopp has made his debut as Germany's head coach.
"After the 44-player squad in September, it was difficult to make this selection because — and this is actually the good news — there were more players who deserved to be here," Klopp admitted.
"The more quality you have, the harder the decisions you have to make," he added, before Germany face Serbia away in Belgrade on Friday, November 13, and host the Netherlands, coached by Spain's Xavier Hernández, in Berlin on Monday, November 16.
The German side sits third in Group A2 of the Nations League with five points after two draws, one defeat and one win.
Germany are three points behind the Netherlands, who have eight, the same as Greece.
Serbia, who have yet to pick up a point, close out Group A2.
Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Alexander Nubel (Besiktas/TUR), Marc-André ter Stegen (Ajax/NED) and Jonas Urbig (Bayern Munich)
- Defenders: Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown, Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Finn Jeltsch, Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle/ENG) and Philipp Treu (Freiburg).
- Midfielders: Tom Bischof, Lennart Karl, Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Said El Mala (Cologne), Brajan Gruda (RB Leipzig), Wael Mohya (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Derry Scherhant (Freiburg) and Florian Wirtz (Liverpool/ENG).
- Forwards: Younes Ebnoutalib (Eintracht Frankfurt), Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen) and Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG). EFE
