Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp has fast-tracked Liverpool attacker Florian Wirtz into the primary national team squad ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Greece.
Wirtz, 23, was initially named in Klopp’s secondary 22-man group for late October fixtures against Serbia and Greece. However, sudden fitness issues within the German camp forced a quick change of plans.
Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala sustained a thigh injury during warm-ups, while Arsenal’s Kai Havertz picked up a thigh problem in the first half of Thursday’s 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. Both players have withdrawn from the roster and returned to their clubs.
To fill the attacking vacancies, Wirtz and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jonathan Burkardt have been promoted to the main squad immediately. The Liverpool midfielder was spotted participating in Saturday’s training session ahead of the upcoming match.
The international call-up arrives during a challenging adjustment period for Wirtz at Anfield following his high-profile transfer from Bayer Leverkusen. During his final campaign with Leverkusen, the midfielder recorded 31 goal contributions across 45 appearances.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the international break could provide a welcome reset for the struggling playmaker.
“The one hope for Liverpool supporters now is Jurgen Klopp is the Germany manager,” Carragher noted. “Wirtz goes away with the Germany team for three weeks, and he’s obviously one of the best players in Germany, that’s how they see him.”
“Can Jurgen Klopp sprinkle a bit of stardust on him in that position? Jurgen is one of the greatest managers in the world, we know that. And what he gets out of players is probably more than most managers because of the nature of his personality.”
It remains to be seen whether Wirtz will feature in the starting lineup against Greece on Sunday, or if Klopp will ease him into action as originally intended.
