Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has dismissed rumours of a potential return to the German national team setup for Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Neuer announced his retirement from international football over a year ago, bringing down the curtains on a 15-year career that saw him earn 124 caps for Die Manschafft and win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
However, the German national team have yet to find a consistent replacement for the 39-year-old since then, leading to questions as to whether he may need to come out of international retirement ahead of next summer’s World Cup if Germany qualify.
Despite his age, Neuer remains an ever-present figure for Bayern Munich this season. He has kept four clean sheets in six outings so far but Nagelsmann insists the national team is well covered in the goalkeeping department.
“Since Manu [Neuer] retired, we haven’t lost a game because of a goalkeeping mistake,” Nagelsmann said.
“He is playing a very good season for Bayern [Munich], but we don’t have a goalkeeping problem. This discussion does not help anyone, neither our goalkeepers nor Manu himself, who is focused on Bayern.”
TSG Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann manned the sticks in Germany’s most recent game and made three key saves to secure his clean sheet and ensure Nagelsmann’s charges secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland.
Germany have now won their last three matches in qualifying, a run which also started with a win over Northern Ireland. They moved top of Group A on goal difference thanks to Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade’s first international goal.
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