The German national team’s U-21 squad will be playing for the EUROs this summer and has assembled a very good squad filled with experienced players, including Bayern Munich’s Paul Wanner, who spent this season on loan with Heidenheim.
In addition to Wanner, there are a few former Bayern Munich players in the mix as well:
Goalkeepers: Noah Atubolu (SC Freiburg), Tjark Ernst (Hertha BSC), Nahuel Noll (SpVgg Greuther Fürth), Johannes Schenk (SC Preußen Münster)***
Defenders: Bright Arrey-Mbi (SC Braga)***, Elias Baum (Eintracht Frankfurt), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Nnamdi Collins (Borussia Dortmund), Finn Jeltsch (VfB Stuttgart), Tim Oermann (VfL Bochum), Max Rosenfelder (SC Freiburg), Jamil Siebert (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Lukas Ullrich (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Midfielders: Brajan Gruda (Brighton & Hove Albion), Caspar Jander (FC Nürnberg), Ansgar Knauff (Eintracht Frankfurt), Eric Martel (FC Köln), Paul Nebel (Mainz 05), Rocco Reitz (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Merlin Röhl (SC Freiburg), Jan Thielmann (FC Köln), Paul Wanner (Bayern Munich)**
Forwards: Derry Scherhant (SC Freiburg), Nicolo Tresoldi (Hannover 96), Nelson Weiper (Mainz 05), Nick Woltemade (VfB Stuttgart)
** — Bayern Munich player who was on loan in 2024/25
*** — Former Bayern Munich player
Interestingly, Woltemade was also recently selected for Germany’s senior squad.
Di Salvo talks squad
Germany U-21 coach Antonio Di Salvo hit on a number of topics during his press conference. See below for the coach’s quotes.
On omitting players like Bayern Munich’s Tom Bischof and Frans Krätzig and Borussia Dortmund’s Maximilian Beier and Karim Adeyemi…
Di Salvo: “The club has said that they should play in the Club World Cup. It is a new, difficult situation for everyone. Ultimately, the Club World Cup is a great experience for them. I also heard from them that they would have liked to play in the U-21 European Championship. But I know they’ll keep their fingers crossed for us. I’ll also keep my fingers crossed for them at the Club World Cup.”
On why Bayern Munich’s Paul Wanner is available…
Di Salvo: ”I spoke with Paul, who made it very clear to me that he wants to play in the U-21 European Championship. He then discussed this with the club (FC Bayern). The club then gave the go-ahead, which makes me happy because we now have one more quality player.”
On why Jonas Urbig was not selected…
Di Salvo: “The personnel issue was still open until a few days ago. I was in constant contact with Max Eberl. In Jonas’ case, it was also the case that the wish was that he should take part in the Club World Cup. Manuel Neuer was injured for a long time. In an emergency, Jonas can step in. It’s also a form of appreciation, also towards Jonas. He has shown outstanding performances and stepped in, so it’s understandable to me that Jonas is firmly in the squad.”
Looking for an in depth breakdown of Germany roster selections and how it all might fit together for the UEFA Nations League Final Four? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Special Edition: Breaking down Germany’s call-ups for the UEFA Nations League Final Four. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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