As reported by SPORT1, Florian Wirtz discussed his reintroduction into the German national team and the rumours linking him to a move to Barcelona.
Wirtz returned to action with Bayer Leverkusen at the turn of the year following a long absence due to injury.
The attacking midfielder has been placed straight back into Die Mannschaft with Hansi Flick willing to give the 19-year-old a chance to see how he competes on the international stage. Originally, Wirtz was reportedly on the original 50-man list for the World Cup in Qatar but was not called up due to the fact he had to focus on getting fit and it would have been too big a risk for him to travel to Qatar.
Wirtz hasn’t played for the national team for almost a year and a half after his last international match in October 2021.
When asked about the upcoming European Championships in Germany, Wirtz said: “We want to play a good tournament and inspire the fans. It will definitely be a very nice experience. I want to do my part to ensure that we get as far as possible.”
In terms of his overall fitness, the 19-year-old explained: “I’m no longer in pain, my knee is 100 percent good again. I had to get my fitness back through the games. But I’m still missing a few percent.”
Finally, the Leverkusen man was asked about various media outlets linking him to Barcelona. The German international seemed as surprised as others: “I didn’t hear anything about FC Barcelona. It’s important that I stay healthy and still achieve a few goals with Leverkusen. I haven’t looked that far into the future yet. First of all, I have to see that I can keep up here.”
GGFN | Jamie Allen
