Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has named Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Tim Kleindienst to his Nations League squad on Thursday and assured Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann of his international debut in the absence of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Germany face Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 11 and the Netherlands three days later.
For Kleindienst, it's a first call-up for the national team. The player moved to Gladbach from Heidenheim this summer and in five Bundesliga games so far he has scored two goals.
He's to replace West Ham forward Niclas Füllkrug, who recently suffered an injury.
"Tim Kleindienst performed well in the Bundesliga with Heidenheim over the course of a year and has also made a good impression at his new club Borussia Mönchengladbach," Nagelsmann said
"Among other things, he is very reliable defensively. He has earned it. Niclas Füllkrug's injury is a good opportunity to test Tim, he can now prove himself."
Baumann to make Germany debut
Baumann, meanwhile, will be rewarded for his long wait for his Germany debut.
"Olli has deserved to play an international match," Nagelsmann said.
Ter Stegen, who became Germany's number one following Manuel Neuer's retirement after Euro 2024, has suffered a serious knee injury for Barcelona, leaving the position between the posts vacant.
"Marc is our number one and will remain so. He will have as long as he needs to be healthy again," Nagelsmann said.
"It's a bitter situation for him. You wait so long to become the number one and then suffer a serious injury.
"If Marc comes back a year before the World Cup, he will still be able to play a great World Cup and have a good World Cup qualifying campaign. I assume that he will be back in top shape next summer”
Nagelsmann also called up goalkeepers Janis Blaswich and Alexander Nübel.
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger and Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry are also returning to the squad. Rüdiger asked for some time to recover after Euro 2024, while Gnabry had been dealing with injury.
Germany stated the Nations League season with a 5-0 thrashing of Hungary and a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.
Adeyemi a candidate for Germany in the future
Nagelsmann praised Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, who's having a stellar season for the Champions League runners-up but is currently injured.
"He's injured but he's in a very good flow. I see him as a candidate for us in the future," the coach said.
He stressed, however, that if Adeyemi recovers quickly, he will initially play for the under-21 team.
"He's an important factor in the U21s. Of course, all players long to play for the senior team. But it's definitely advisable to prove yourself by performing well in the U21s," Nagelsmann said.
Adeyemi has already played four games for Germany's senior team under former coach Hansi Flick in 2021 and 2022, and scored one goal.
On Tuesday, he scored a hat-trick in Dortmund's 7-1 win against Celtic in the Champions League, but he had to be subbed off with a thigh injury.
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