HOUSTON (AP) — Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has fully recovered from a calf injury he sustained last month and is ready to go for Germany’s World Cup opener against Curaçao on Sunday.
The 40-year-old enters the World Cup having not played for Germany in almost two years after coach Julian Nagelsmann lured him out of international retirement.
“(He’s) definitely fit enough to start the game and he got better and better,” Nagelsmann said Saturday night. “He didn’t really have the rhythm, but now he found the rhythm. He played a lot, we trust him a lot and I think … in order to have a good World Cup, we need Manuel in top performance and I think he can bring that.”
There were questions about his health after he injured his left calf during Bayern’s last Bundesliga game of the season in late May and missed the German Cup final against Stuttgart for what was called “muscular problems in his left calf.”
The Bayern Munich captain is the only remaining member of the World Cup-winning team from 2014 on the Germany squad. This will be his fifth World Cup, which will tie the German record held by Lothar Matthäus.
His return to the national team has been a boost to younger members of the squad who have leaned on him during preparations as Germany tries to bounce back after two successive World Cup group-stage exits.
Midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović, Neuer’s teammate at Bayern, raved about Neuer’s leadership as the 22-year-old prepares to make his World Cup debut.
“Manuel is a world class player,” Pavlović said. “He always gives me tips. He helps me on the pitch and it is very important for me. I am very grateful for any tip he gives me and I’m trying to implement any tip he gives me.”
Four-time champion Germany is a heavy favorite against Curaçao, which is making its debut in the World Cup and is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament. Though they’re the underdogs in the opener, coach Dick Advocaat has plenty of World Cup experience having coached the Netherlands in 1994 and South Korea in 2006.
At 78, he’ll become the oldest head coach in World Cup history on Sunday, while the 38-year-old Nagelsmann is the youngest in this year’s tournament. The 40-year age difference between these coaches is the largest in World Cup history.
“I think he’s a really cool coach,” Nagelsmann said. “I think it’s really cool and a great compliment for his work. I got to know him a few times and he’s always kind. As a young coach I always can learn from people like him.”
But don’t expect Nagelsmann to be coaching in 40 years.
“I like my job, but I hope to do different things with my life at that age,” he said with a laugh.
Advocaat said he’s impressed that Nagelsmann is in this position at such a young age.
“He must have something special and he has that otherwise he wouldn’t be the coach of the national team,” Advocaat said. “He’s an excellent coach.”
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press
