Germany have confirmed their final 23-man squad for the European Championships, with the biggest news that Marco Reus has been left out of the squad.
Joachim Low had the unenviable task of trimming down his talent-filled squad and the 56-year-old will certainly have had to mull over his decision several times for dropping the axe.
Germany’s last warm-up game is this coming Saturday at Schalke’s Veltins- Arena, where they will take on fellow Euro 2016 participators Hungary.
The German tactician confirmed at a press conference today that Karim Bellarabi, Julian Brandt, Sebastian Rudy and Reus – who turns 27 today – have all been left out.
Marco Reus turned 27 today – and his present from doctors with the Germany national side was to be told he was unlikely to be fit enough to feature at Euro 2016 due to a groin problem.
According to his national team-mate, Sami Khedira, Reus who also missed 2014 World Cup has taken the news as well as can be expected for a man who also had to sit out the World Cup in 2014.
Khedira said: ‘Marco Reus took the disappointing news in a very composed manner.’
Happy Bitrthday @marcinho11 but we are really sad. Unbelievable. That hurts me. #vivelafreundschaft pic.twitter.com/Dp8Au4gawM
— Mario Götze (@MarioGoetze) May 31, 2016
Bayern Munich’s highly-rated talent Joshua Kimmich is included, whilst Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil is also included.
Low’s men are in Group C at the finals in France in roughly 10 days and will take on Ukraine in their opening game on the 12 June at the Stade Pierre- Mauroy.
Germany’s last Euros ended in heartache in the semi-final, after a Mario Balotelli double at the National Stadium was enough to hand the Azzurri a 2-1 win.
That came four years after Die Mannschaft lost the Euro 2008 final against Spain, after Fernando Torres’ solitary goal at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Bernd Leno (Leverkusen)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), Emre Can (Liverpool), Antonio Rudiger (Roma)
Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund), Leroy Sane (Schalke)
Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (Besiktas), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Andre Schurrle (Wolfsburg)
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