Tim Kleindienst selected in latest Germany squad

Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst has been called up to the latest Germany squad, as an injury bug forced Julian Naglesmann to make some surprise selections.

Jamal Musiala was a late withdrawl from the squad due to hip problems, with Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling replacing him.

"We only have a few changes again, more as a result of having injured players," said Nagelsmann.

Kai Havertz was another late withdrawl, a knee-problem forced the Arsenal forward to stay in London. Mainz's in-form striker Jonathan Burkardt was called up in his place, and defender Robin Koch (hip) was replaced by attacker Kevin Schade.

In keeping with his style of selecting in-form players, Julian Nagelsmann also welcomed back Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry after almost a year out of the squad. Antonio Rüdiger returns after being given a break, and Janis Blaswich is in as the third goalkeeper. Borussia Dortmund's Emre Can and Maximilian Beier are not in the squad.

Mister 'small serivce'

With Niclas Füllkrug out injured, Nagelsmann confirmed this was a chance to test Kleindienst, whose surname literally translates to "small service" in English. The striker, who started his career in 2013 in the second division for Energie Cottbus, is considered a late bloomer in football terms and his arrival in the national team marks an unexpected rise to the top.

After spells at Freiburg, Heidenheim and Gent in Belgium, Kleindienst eventually returned to Heidenheim, then in Germany's second tier. There, he finished as the division's top scorer for the 2022-23 season, with his goals helping the club seal promotion to the Bundesliga.

After one season in the Bundesliga, a campaign which ended with the club sealing an unexpected European spot, Kleindienst signed for Gladbach. So far this season, he has scored twice in his first five league games.

While Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel is hoping to play, Nagelsmann stated that Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann "deserved" the chance to play for Germany after a long time waiting in the wings. Nagelsmann also confirmed the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen would remain Germany's number one.

"Marc will get all the time he needs from us to return. He is our number one and he knows that," Nagelsmann said.

Germany currently sit top of their Nations League group, with four points.

Germany's team will meet-up on October 7 in Herzogenaurach, where the team's base camp is. They will head to Bosnia on October 11 before returning to Munich on October 14 to play the Netherlands, a fixture that will also see former players Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündogan given an official farewell after their recent retirements.

Edited by: Matt Pearson