Germany‘s 18-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl will be sidelined from the World Cup after sustaining an injury during a training session on Friday.
The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed that Karl has a torn muscle and will be replaced on the roster by RB Leipzig‘s 20-year-old midfielder Assan Ouédraogo.
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Under World Cup regulations, coach Julian Nagelsmann is permitted to call up a replacement player in cases of “serious injury or illness” until 24 hours before Germany’s first match, which is scheduled for June 14 against World Cup debutant Curaçao.
The injury occurred during Germany’s last training session before their final pre-World Cup friendly against the United States in Chicago on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, Lenni injured himself during training today. We’re waiting to see what the outcome will be, but to be honest, it didn’t look promising,” Nagelsmann stated at a news conference earlier.
Karl is viewed as one of the most promising young talents in any World Cup squad following a breakout season with Bayern Munich, where he became the youngest player in the club’s history to score in the Champions League.
He made his international debut for Germany in March, quickly establishing himself with three caps, including a starting role in last week’s 4-0 victory over Finland.
Nagelsmann also mentioned on Friday that he would not risk 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer against the U.S. due to persistent concerns over a calf injury sustained while with Bayern last month.
This means Neuer will enter the World Cup without having played for Germany in nearly two years. He had initially retired from the national team after the 2024 European Championship but agreed to return last month.
Oliver Baumann has been Germany’s main goalkeeper during Neuer’s absence and also started in the match against Finland.
This report was contributed by the Associated Press.