Flick discusses squad absentees
In a detailed interview with German footballing magazine Kicker, Bundestrainer Hans Dieter Flick discussed some of the players on the outer edges of his squad.
| Hansi Flick. |
During a sit-down with Germany's preeminent footballing publication, Flick was asked about several players not joining the team for the October international fixtures. In the event Flick, the players, or their club coaches have already made other statements about being left off this time, we've built hyperlinks into the headers that direct to previous Bulinews coverage.
On Julian Brandt (Dortmund) and Julian Draxler (PSG):
"No one is out. Of course we have them in mind. There's no question when it comes to their qualities."
On Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt):
"Manuel Neuer is the #1 for us, ahead of Marc-André ter Stegen, Bernd Leno, and Kevin Trapp. We have clearly communicated this to the players so that everyone knows where they stand at the moment. But everyone knows that they also have the opportunity to improve upon their ranking."
On Mario Götze (PSV):
"With his position, we simply have a lot of high quality there. I essentially have a surplus."
On Ridle Baku (VfL Wolfsburg):
"I've spoken with both [his coach] Mark van Bommel and [his sporting director] Marcel Schäfer. Both found it positive that we addressed the situation open and honestly. They also thought it made sense and was not the right thing to do to take him along. It's better that he didn't have to make an unnecessary trip and could stay at home and train with his club. Everything was handled clearly."
On Lukas Nmecha (VfL Wolfsburg):
"Lukas is a player who can score out of nowhere. I've already had a chat with Mark van Bommel about him. He has quality, but still may need a bit of time."
On Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund):
"Again, with him we'll just have to wait and see. I had a long conversation with him and assured him that we would always be open and honest with one another. The players have that guarantee with me."