Former Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has spoken out against the possibility of Manuel Neuer returning to the German squad for the World Cup. In an interview with the program Doppelass on Sport1, Kahn described coach Julian Nagelsmann's idea of making a change in goal at this point as “adventurous.”
“If Julian Nagelsmann has the idea of making a change in goal now, it would be something adventurous,” Kahn said. He stressed that a possible return by Neuer to displace current starter Oliver Baumann would shake the group's confidence and call the coach's credibility into question. Nagelsmann is expected to announce the World Cup squad list next Thursday.
In the last round of the Bundesliga, Neuer felt discomfort in his left calf and was substituted, raising doubts about his presence in the German Cup final on Saturday against Stuttgart. Kahn, who experienced a similar situation at the end of his career, noted that the body needs more time to recover with age. “Occasionally it is possible, but it is difficult to perform at maximum day after day. The body becomes more fragile, it needs more time to recover. Playing a World Cup at a high level would be a violent challenge for Manuel,” he said.
Neuer, 40, had previously stepped away from the national team to focus on Bayern. Kahn argues that Nagelsmann should place full trust in Baumann and warned of the risk of calling up Neuer only for him to be unable to play due to injury. “If Nagelsmann plans to bring Neuer and then he can't because he gets injured, what is he going to say to Baumann so that he has full confidence in goal?” he asked.