Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has expressed his delight at seeing Felix Nmecha regaining full fitness just in time for the upcoming campaign. The manager even delayed the official announcement of the World Cup squad, partly to assess the Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s recovery.
Nagelsmann had originally intended to reveal his 26-player World Cup squad for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico on 12 May. However, he decided to postpone the announcement by nine days. When he finally unveiled the squad on Thursday, he explained once again why the decision to delay had been necessary.
The coach clarified that the additional time was meant to give players recovering from injuries or struggling with form an opportunity to prove their readiness. He specifically mentioned Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha. While Kleindienst, who had been sidelined for a long spell, missed out, Nmecha—having recovered from a torn lateral ligament—earned his place. Less than two weeks earlier, Nmecha had made an appearance off the bench against Eintracht Frankfurt, immediately catching Nagelsmann’s attention.
Speaking about Nmecha, Nagelsmann remarked: “We’ve already got a world-class player.”
He elaborated further: “Felix worked very hard and trained diligently during his rehabilitation. He rebuilt his muscles and achieved remarkable stability in his knee — even more than before. In his 20-minute comeback after nine weeks out, his first move was a sharp turn followed by a 40-metre sprint, and I thought to myself: ‘That’s it — he’s back.’”
Nmecha reinforced that impression on the final day of the Bundesliga season in Dortmund’s 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen. Nagelsmann added: “In that last match, he gave everything for 90 minutes. He handled it impressively.” The 25-year-old, according to the coach, “is a top player with all the qualities to become one of the best midfielders in the world. He’s got tremendous talent, great speed, and dynamism. He’s fit, healthy, without any issues, and he’s going to be a huge asset for us in the tournament.”
Nagelsmann concluded confidently: “We already have a world-class player. Waiting a bit longer to bring him into the squad was absolutely the right call.”
Since making his senior debut for Germany in autumn 2023, Nmecha has represented the national team six times, scoring once. In the DFB midfield setup, he faces competition from Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leon Goretzka (both from FC Bayern Munich), Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion), and Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart) for one of the two remaining World Cup spots.
Germany’s World Cup squad overview
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