BERLIN: Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann included uncapped midfielder Angelo Stiller in his squad for the September Nations League fixtures, their first matches since a Euro 2024 quarter-final exit and several retirements.

The squad is the first named after a generational change brought on by the international retirements of veterans and 2014 World Cup winners Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller. Captain at Euro 2024, Ilkay Gundogan — who missed Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph through injury — has also announced he will no longer play for his country.

Nagelsmann did not indicate who would take over from Gundogan as skipper, although German media reported Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich is the frontrunner. Stuttgart’s Stiller is the only uncapped player to be called up, with Nagelsmann praising his “good performances” with last season’s surprise Bundesliga runners-up.

The coach said he wanted to stick with the majority of the squad who impressed at Euro 2024 on home soil. “For the moment, these changes are enough for the national team,” Nagelsmann said. “We want to give the Euros squad the chance to present themselves again in the first games after the tournament.”

Long-time understudy Marc-Andre ter Stegen is expected to be first-choice goalkeeper in place of Neuer. Alexander Nuebel, who is on loan at Stuttgart from Bayern and is viewed as the long-term successor to Neuer at club level, has been included in the squad, having been cut just before Euro 2024.

Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Ruediger has been rested after a long summer including winning the Champions League final at Wembley in June. Bayern forward Serge Gnabry, who missed Euro 2024 with a muscle injury, has also been left out of the squad despite a return to fitness.

Fellow Bayern winger Leroy Sane misses out as he continues his return from an operation on a leg injury. After almost a decade of underperforming at major tournaments, including two group-stage World Cup exits in Russia and Qatar, Germany impressed at the Euros.

The hosts were eliminated with a 2-1 extra-time loss to Spain in Stuttgart, the only team not to lose to the eventual champions inside 90 minutes. Germany host Hungary on September 7 in Duesseldorf, followed by a trip to Amsterdam to take on the Netherlands on September 10.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alexander Nuebel (Stuttgart), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona/ESP).

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstaedt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Chris Fuehrich (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Borussia Dortmund), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen).

Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Niclas Fuellkrug (West Ham/ENG), Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart). — AFP