Bayern Munich concluded the Bundesliga campaign with an emphatic 5-1 win against FC Koln at Allianz Arena on Saturday. The Bavarian club lifted the Bundesliga title after the game, and celebrations started as Vincent Kompany’s men retained the trophy by delivering brilliant performances throughout the campaign.
Kompany’s men will turn their attention to next week’s DFB Pokal against VfB Stuttgart final before joining up with their respective national teams for the World Cup. The Bavarian faithful may get a chance to see one of their senior players feature in another World Cup later this summer.
According to Sky Sports in Germany, Julian Nagelsmann is set to include Manuel Neuer in Germany’s preliminary World Cup squad. The 40-year-old suffered a minor injury in the game against FC Koln. If the injury is not serious, Bayern's skipper is in line to be Germany’s number one in the World Cup.
Neuer has been reluctant to get into conversations about a U-turn on international retirement over the last few months. He had brought curtains down on his international career after the Euros in 2024. However, it does look like DFB and Julian Nagelsmann have managed to convince him to play a role in the upcoming World Cup in the USA.
The 40-year-old has been in fine form over the last few months. His notable performance came away at Santiago Bernabeu in a 2-1 win against Real Madrid in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. The German pundits and media have been urging Nagelsmann to call up Neuer for the World Cup.
Bayern completed the contract renewal of Neuer this week. The experienced goalkeeper signed another one-year extension with the record Bundesliga champions. It will be interesting to see how his game time is managed next season, as Die Roten are keen on giving adequate playing time to Jonas Urbig. The former FC Koln goalkeeper is tipped to succeed Neuer in the long run for club and country.
Bayern hopeful of Neuer recovering for DFB Pokal final
Neuer’s participation in next week’s DFB Pokal hangs in the balance. Bayern confirmed on Sunday that the German goalkeeper has suffered a minor calf injury and will be sidelined for the time being. His injury is not expected to be serious, and Die Roten are hopeful about having him back in the squad for the DFB Pokal final.
From a World Cup perspective, Neuer should be fit. It will be interesting to see how he performs in this tournament after not playing for Germany for the last two years.
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