Nagelsmann explains why Ouédraogo was called up over El Mala
| Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images |
On Friday, Assan Ouédraogo was called up to Germany’s World Cup squad as a replacement for Lennart Karl, who was ruled out of the tournament after suffering an injury in training.
Ahead of Germany’s final pre-World Cup friendly against the United States on Saturday, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann elaborated on the decision to call up the 20-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder, who has only made one appearance for the senior national team so far.
"We definitely wanted to take another young player, and we chose the one who, alongside ‘Lenny’, made the best impression with us," Nagelsmann said.
"Of course, we always have to evaluate what happens at club level, but also what happens with us and what kind of standing a player may already have within the team. Assan received extremely positive feedback from all the players after his training camp. He's a very pleasant person with great abilities."
The decision has raised questions, with some suggesting that a wide option such as 1. FC Köln’s Said El Mala should have been called up instead.
However, Nagelsmann believes he already has sufficient options for the wing positions, with Florian Wirtz, Maximilian Beier, Leroy Sané, Jamie Leweling, Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala all capable of playing there. He also pointed to another key factor:
"Said El Mala hasn't trained for two and a half weeks, only done some running. His last match was on May 16," Nagelsmann stressed.
"Assan, meanwhile, was still playing on May 29 because he was in South Africa with RB Leipzig (on an end-of-season tour, ed. note). He's fully fit and in rhythm. A player who still needs another week to get up to speed doesn't help us – he has to be ready immediately."
Ouédraogo himself admitted on Saturday that he first had to "process" Nagelsmann’s call before packing his bags.
"It's a huge honour and makes me very proud to represent Germany at the World Cup. A childhood dream is coming true for me, something I've worked very hard towards over the past months and years."
At the same time, his thoughts were with the unfortunate Karl.
"I feel very sorry for him that he got injured so shortly before the tournament and can't be there. So, alongside my joy, I also feel respect for the situation. I sincerely wish him all the best and hope he is back on the pitch soon."
