Germany U21 tournament squad reduced to 23 via injuries
Injuries to three players ended up making Germany U21 head-coach Antonio di Salvo's final round of cuts ahead of the coming European Championship fairly straightforward.
Germany's 26-man preliminary squad for the coming UEFA U21 European Championship has officially been reduced to a 23-man-roster. Germany U21 head-coach Antonio di Salvo didn't have to end up making deliberate cuts as he lost three players to injury. Patrick Osterhage (VfL Bochum), Jordan Beyer (Burnley F.C.) and Jan Thielmann (1. FC Köln) had to withdraw.
Beyer - who recently completed an expensive permanent move to the EPL - had been a regular starter in di Salvo's defensive corps. The 23-year-old nevertheless had been struggling with a tendon blister under the sole of his foot and had been unavailable for his English side since late April.
Thielmann had his fair share of injury issues for club this season, but finished the campaign strongly as was expected to contest for a starting spot in in di Salvo's XI. The 21-year-old made 24 appearances for Köln this season, scoring two goals and notching three assists.
"The injuries to Jordan and Jan are extremely bitter for us," di Salvo noted in a DFB-sanctioned statement, "That their European Championship dream collapses shortly before the beginning of the tournament makes me sad for both lads. Nevertheless, we must now look ahead. I'm confident that we're very well positioned for the European Championship despite the absences."
Di Salvo's juniors get set to defend the European Championship crown they secured in the summer of 2021. Group stage play for the German U21s kicks off on June 22nd against Israel. Matches against the Czech Republic and England follow.
The final squad:
Goalkeepers:
Noah Atubolu, SC Freiburg
Christian Früchtl, Austria Wien
Nico Mantl, RB Salzburg
Defenders:
Josha Vagnoman, VfB Stuttgart
Maximilian Bauer, FC Augsburg
Kilian Fischer, VfL Wolfsburg
Yann Aurel Bisseck, AGF Aarhus
Marton Dardai, Hertha BSC
Luca Netz, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Henning Matriciani, FC Schalke 04
Kenneth Schmidt, SC Freiburg
Midfielders/Forwards:
Angelo Stiller, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Yannik Keitel, SC Freiburg
Tom Krauß, RB Leipzig
Ansgar Knauff, Eintracht Frankfurt
Eric Martel, FC Köln
Denis Huseinbasic, FC Köln
Noah Weißhaupt, SC Freiburg
Faride Alidou, Eintracht Frankfurt
Youssoufa Moukoko, Borussia Dortmund
Kevin Schade, Brentford FC
Jessic Ngankam, Hertha BSC
Nelson Weiper, FSV Mainz 05
Jordan Beyer und Jan Thielmann müssen verletzungsbedingt aus dem #U21-Trainingslager abreisen. 😞 Gute Besserung, Jungs! 🙏
— DFB-Junioren (@DFB_Junioren) June 14, 2023
Damit hat sich das Team nun auf 23 Spieler reduziert. Bis heute Abend wird der DFB den jetzt feststehenden #U21EURO-Kader an die UEFA melden.#MEHRVONUNS pic.twitter.com/xCzRPgqRq5