When Julian Nagelsmann presented his provisional squad for the European Football Championship, he invited 27 players. It was clear that he could only nominate 26 for the German national team for the tournament – and it was not entirely unlikely that a player would have to drop out for health reasons, especially since at the end of a strenuous season some players, such as Leroy Sané, were suffering from problems. But when the deadline for nominations approached, all of the German players were actually fit.
The national coach decided, contrary to his original announcement, to only take three goalkeepers to the tournament instead of four. Alexander Nübel was therefore removed from the German Football Association (DFB) squad last week. Second division goalkeeper Jan Reichert, who plays for 1. FC Nuremberg and is ready for training at any time thanks to his short journey, is training for him in Herzogenaurach, where the team is based for the European Championship.
But now, as the European Championship opening match against Scotland approaches this Friday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship, on ZDF and on MagentaTV), there is one absence. Aleksandar Pavlovic is out of the European Championship due to illness. The DFB announced this on Wednesday afternoon. Nagelsmann nominated Dortmund’s Emre Can to replace the 20-year-old FC Bayern player in his European Championship squad. Player substitutions are possible for health reasons up until each team’s first game. Can will travel to the camp in Herzogenaurach during the course of the day.
“I am very sad at the moment”
Pavlovic remains the unlucky one of the national team. In March, the national coach nominated the German-Serbian for the first time, for the test matches in France and against the Netherlands. Due to tonsillitis, he was unable to travel at the time and was unable to play in the matches. Now he is back in the squad and has also taken part in the training camps in Blankenhain and Herzogenaurach. He made his debut for Germany in the first test match, the goalless draw against Ukraine.
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Pavlovic did not play against Greece, when the DFB team tested again, and traveled to Munich for the two days off afterwards. He did not return to Herzogenaurach from there. The reason given was an infection. Now the health problems are so serious that it does not seem sensible to wait for recovery. “At the moment I am very sad that the dream of a home European Championship has been shattered. I wish the boys the greatest possible success!” he wrote on Instagram.
“It is of course bitter to make such a decision. It always hurts. He is a very good player, a good person, but at that age I have a responsibility towards the player,” said Nagelmann in a DFB video. “If he arrives here and is put under too much strain, there is a high residual risk that he will get an infection in his tonsils and be out again,” said the national coach. Pavlovic would not have been fit to play.
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Pavlovic had his breakthrough at FC Bayern this season. He made his first appearance for the Munich first team in October and quickly developed into an alternative in defensive midfield. This aroused interest from the Serbian association, who wanted to recruit him for their national team – Pavlovic’s mother is German, his father is Serbian. Her son actually wanted to wait until after the European Championships to make his decision, but Nagelsmann’s nomination meant he decided sooner.
According to the DFB statement, the national coach justified the choice of Can by saying he wanted to have “another number six in the squad”, someone “who has played a lot of games and knows how to deal with the pressure. He can fulfill the profile that we need now.” The physically strong Can has a slightly different profile than Pavlovic, who comes through playing. Can “immediately expressed his enthusiasm and willingness to join the team,” Nagelsmann continued.
The Dortmund player has not yet been nominated for the national team under Nagelsmann, and was last in the squad in September 2023. Can played from the start in both Hansi Flick’s last game against Japan and in the duel with France, when Rudi Völler took over once after Flick’s departure. Nagelsmann, however, has never invited him. That is why the national coach did not call Can when he did not call him up for the European Championship squad. Can, who has made 43 international appearances so far, was disappointed by this.
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Another option for the defensive midfield position, for which Toni Kroos, Robert Andrich and Pascal Groß are already in the European Championship squad, would have been Leon Goretzka. But Nagelsmann decided against the long-time FC Bayern international, as he did with the provisional squad. Can is the captain of the Dortmund team, which recently disappointed in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup, but reached the final of the Champions League, where they lost to Real Madrid.
Nagelsmann also mentioned Rocco Reitz as an option in his thoughts. The Borussia Mönchengladbach player had trained with the national team for two weeks, just like Brajan Gruda from Mainz 05. “We had Rocco Reitz with us, who also deserved it, who did very well,” said the national coach. “But I just want to have a player in the squad who has already played a few games, who can deal with pressure situations.” Someone like the 30-year-old Can.
