NEUER TO RETURN IN GOAL FOR GERMANY AGAINST AUSTRIA
Germany captain and goalie to play in friendly against Austria
BERLIN: Manuel Neuer took another step towards the World Cup, after eight months sidelined with injury, by impressing in a training match for Germany’s Under-20 against the senior team.
Germany’s captain and goalkeeper, who suffered a fractured foot last September, impressed for the junior team in a 2-0 defeat by the senior Germany team yesterday.
He was only beaten by a Thomas Mueller penalty and a goal from Julian Draxler in the shortened training match, which was 35 minutes per half.
“He faced some shots on goal and made a few very good saves. It is another step in the right direction,” said Germany’s assistant coach Thomas Schneider.
On Monday, Neuer played his first game back in a 7-1 win over the Under-20 team at Germany’s World Cup training camp in north Italy, but his presence in the junior goal made for a much closer scoreline yesterday.
On Saturday, Neuer will play his first full match after injury in Germany’s friendly away game against Austria in Klagenfurt.
Germany head coach Joachim Loew has said Neuer will travel to the World Cup as his first-choice providing he proves his fitness ahead of their opening game against Mexico in Moscow on June 17.
Loew has taken 27 players with him for their training camp, including four‘keepers, with four to be cut before the list of the official 23-man squad is delivered to FIFA on Monday.
“Manuel needs these matches to once again be on 100% top form. They’ll help him to refind his confidence,” said goalkeeping coach Andreas Koepke.
The assistant coach added: “In training, you can’t see any difference (with Neuer), it’s as if he’s never had a break.”
Should Neuer come back, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will find himself relegated to the bench after a year of filling in at number one.
“He knows the situation,” Koepke said of Ter Stegen, with whom he and Loew have had talks over potential selection issues.
“Manu is our captain, a world champion. We’re trying everything so it works out for him. Obviously Marc-Andre would love to play, but he can manage the situation.” — AFP