With the announcement of the Germany squad for the World Cup, Florian Wirtz was an omission from the team. This comes after the 19-year-old has not played football since injuring himself against FC Köln in March.
Speaking at his press conference, Hansi Flick explained his reasoning for not picking the attacking midfielder: “What’s crucial for him is that he gets back on the pitch healthy.”
Wirtz had already returned to first team training with Bayer Leverkusen but has yet to find himself fit enough to play for Xabi Alonso’s side. The exclusion now means Wirtz can use the break as a chance to build fitness and in the new year hope to reach the heights he did before his injury.
Wirtz is one of many absentees from the national team squad including Marco Reus, Timo Werner and Florian Neuhaus who all miss out through injury while Mats Hummels missed out on selection completely. This opened the door for the likes of Julian Brandt and Armel Bella-Kotchap to be included.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
