Today, the coach of the German national team, Joachim Low, announced the list of 27 players who will prepare for the 2016 European Championship.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Bastian Schweinsteiger was included in the squad, even though he has only appeared once in the Premier League since January. Low admits that the 31-year-old midfielder's condition is a cause for concern and that he will only travel to the tournament if he proves during the preparation stage that he is ready to compete at one hundred percent.
"He is still recovering from an injury, but he has started running. We need to wait and see how he looks when he returns to training. If he doesn't recover in time - I will have to decide who will become the new captain. However, if he is included in the squad - the captain's armband will belong to him," Low said.
Among the players included in the squad are talented young players - Julian Weigl, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, and Julian Brandt who has not yet debuted in the national team.
"We have been watching them for a long time. Sane is incredibly fast, while Weigl plays an important role at Borussia club. Kimmich is one of those players who can play in multiple positions. Brandt is gifted with technical skills and is a fast player," said the German national team strategist about the young players.
Two veterans who play in the Turkish league - Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski also found a place in the squad. The coach is convinced that Podolski still belongs to that group of players who can be very important in such high-level competitions.
"Lukas is still very useful with his style of play, despite some people not understanding that. He can still play the way we expect him to," Low emphasized the importance of the veteran.
By May 31, the German national team coach will have to say goodbye to four players included in the squad.
The entire German national team squad:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Bernd Leno (Bayer), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona);
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern), Emre Can (Liverpool), Jonas Hector (Koln), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), Sebastian Rudy (Hoffenheim), Antonio Rudiger (Roma);
Midfielders: Karim Bellarabi (Bayer), Julian Brandt (Bayer), Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Mario Gotze (Bayern), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern), Toni Kroos (Real), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Leroy Sane (Schalke), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Julian Weigl (Borussia);
Forwards: Mario Gomez (Besiktas), Thomas Muller (Bayern), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Marco Reus (Borussia), Andre Schurrle (Wolfsburg)
