Germany squad: Flick picks newcomer Stach and recalls trio for Germany friendlies

Berlin/Munich (dpa) – Germany coach Hansi Flick has picked Mainz midfielder Anton Stach as a newcomer and recalled three others for upcoming friendlies against Israel and the Netherlands.

Missing several players with injuries including Niklas Süle and Florian Wirtz, and others like Leon Goretzka and Marco Reus not fully fit after injuries, Flick has to improvise a little bit for the games March 26 in Sinsheim and three days later in Amsterdam.

Flick named under-21 European champion Stach “a surprise for all of us” and added “we want to see what kind of potential he has to offer.”

The recalled trio are Benfica’s Julian Weigl who played his last game 2017, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Henrichs (2020) and Leeds United’s Robin Koch (2021).

They will aim to do well to return into the running for a place in Flick’s squad for the World Cup later this year in Qatar.

That also applies to Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck who has been in the squad before and after yet to feature “will definitely play his first game” now, according to Flick.

Flick said he will use the only friendlies of the year for “a mix of trying things out and to become attuned to one another” and expects “a development” from all his players over the next months.

“The condition to be successful in Qatar is that all players are top fit,” Flick said.

Germany squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt), Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona)

Defenders: Matthias Ginter (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Christian Günter (Freiburg), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig). Thilo Kehrer (Paris Saint-Germain), Robin Koch (Leeds United), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea), Nico Schlotterbeck (Freiburg), David Raum (Hoffenheim), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders and forwards: Karim-David Adeyemi (Salzburg), Julian Draxler (Paris Saint-Germain), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gündoğan (Manchester City), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Leroy Sané (Bayern München), Lukas Nmecha (Wolfsburg), Anton Stach (Mainz), Julian Weigl (Benfica), Timo Werner (Chelsea)