Füllkrug addresses age concerns after returning to Germany squad under Klopp
| Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images |
Topping the Bundesliga's scoring charts with nine goals for Werder Bremen, Niclas Füllkrug has been recalled to the Germany squad by Jürgen Klopp for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Serbia on Friday and the Netherlands on Monday.
A few weeks before announcing his latest squad, Klopp seemed to suggest that Füllkrug's age of 33 was a disadvantage as he looks to build a Germany team for the future.
“Niclas Füllkrug scores goal after goal in the Bundesliga, but he’s 33. That’s not my fault," Klopp said in an interview with DAZN last month.
“We have the present, the medium-term future and the long-term future. In the present, it can of course work; in the medium term, possibly as well. Long term, well, we’ll have to see.”
While Klopp has since admitted that he is “not thrilled” with the statements he made in that interview, Füllkrug himself addressed his age at a press conference on Monday.
“My age is a fact, but it’s not something I think about too much. I’ve spoken to the head coach about it and I didn’t take his comments personally in the slightest," he said.
"We’re at a stage where the focus is on developing young players. We’ve got several players who are really making an impression at the moment, so there are plenty of options to choose from.”
Overall, the West Ham loanee is simply happy to be back in the squad for the first time in over a year.
“I’m delighted to be back. It’s recognition of the work you put in and how you perform for your club. It’s great to be part of the national team again and to have the chance to train under Jürgen Klopp," he said.
"I’ve caught up with a lot of familiar faces and met plenty of new ones too. The squad looks very different now and you can really feel how much has changed. I’m happy that I can just be myself and that people respond positively to that.”
