Neuer’s Germany comeback thwarted by injury

Recalled Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will miss his country’s friendly matches against France and the Netherlands due to injury, the German Football Association (DFB) said on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old tore a muscle in his left leg during training on Wednesday and had to leave the session in Frankfurt, the DFB wrote on X.

Neuer had been due to make his international return against France in Lyon on Saturday after being selected by coach Julian Nagelsmann for the first time in 15 months.

But he will now miss that match, as well as Germany’s clash with the Netherlands in Frankfurt next Tuesday.

The injury also casts doubt on the Bayern Munich captain’s participation in his club’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Arsenal on April 9.

Neuer last played for Germany at the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022, breaking his leg shortly after and missing almost a year of football.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel last week praised the goalkeeper’s recall to the Germany squad, saying he was “in a league of his own.”

Tuchel told reporters “what the doctors said really shocked me” about Neuer’s injury, saying the goalkeeper’s return was “really unique… one in 20,000 — maybe one in 20 million.”

Germany boss Nagelsmann said no decision had been made on whether Neuer or Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen would be the team’s number one ahead of the Euros which the country will host in June and July.