Joachim Löw has unveiled a familiar-looking squad for the upcoming international break. However, the national team head coach has given three young players their first international call-ups.Joachim Löw’s first squad since the World Cup in Russia includes 17 members of the team that was eliminated at the group stage. However, three youngsters, Thilo Kehrer of Paris Saint-Germain, Hoffenheim’s Nico Schulz and Kai Havertz of Bayer Leverkusen are set to be given their first taste of international football.
Sami Khedira, Sebastian Rudy, Marvin Plattenhardt and Kevin Trapp, each of whom was part of the team that Löw took to Russia, were omitted from the squad. Mesut Özil and Mario Gomez retired from the national team following the World Cup.
Perhaps most surprising was the exclusion of national team stalwart Khedira. However, speaking to reporters in Munich on Wednesday, Löw said that he had not ruled out a possible return of the 31-year-old midfielder at a later date, but that the Juventus man would have to convince him through his play at his club.
Leroy Sané, Jonathan Tah and Nils Petersen, all of whom were part of the preliminary squad for the World Cup but failed to make it into the final 23-man roster, returned to the squad.
Asked about Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Götze, who he also left off the team that went to Russia, Löw said he had not written off the 26-year-old, who failed to return to form last season, after being out of action for months due to a metabolic disorder. The Germany coach said that should Götze perform consistently at a high level for BVB in the coming months, he could well play his way back into the national team.
Germany play World Cup champions France in their first Nations Cup match next Thursday before facing Peru in an international friendly the following Sunday.
