Maybe it would have already happened in Freiburg against Bosnia, maybe only in Budapest against Hungary. But in at least one of the German national team‘s two upcoming Nations League games, Paul Wanner would have been called to the sidelines, the fourth official would have drawn the plate with his shirt number, Wanner would have run onto the field – and been a German national player. That was apparently the plan of national coach Julian Nagelsmann and his coaching team, but it now has to be postponed.
Paul Wanner will not be in the A squad that Nagelsmann announced on Thursday, but in the German U21 squad, which in itself is not new news. What is new is that the 18-year-old would have had the opportunity to play a senior international match for the first time – however, according to SZ information, he turned down the invitation and canceled Julian Nagelsmann. Obviously to the surprise of the national coach, who had just decided to put his words into action. Wanner is “a player with a lot of potential that we at the DFB have firmly in our plans,” Nagelsmann said in September, actually making the confession that undecided players want to hear.
Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala play in Wanner’s preferred positions at the DFB
For the time being, the known facts remain: that the midfielder, on loan from FC Bayern to 1. FC Heidenheim this season, has the opportunity to play for Austria or Germany thanks to an Austrian mother and a German father – and that he is at doesn’t want to rush into making a decision. The Austrians and team boss Ralf Rangnick are also very interested in Wanner’s services, and the torn player is obviously still determined not to miss this opportunity. It is true that Wanner is leaning towards the DFB, which he shows through his appearances in the German U21; What makes him hesitant is that Nagelsmann’s A-Elf is filled with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala in his preferred positions for the future.
However, according to the Fifa code, appearances in the German A team did not necessarily mean a final determination. As a rule, players under the age of 21 are only considered to have made three A-11 appearances. “It’s not my goal, not “I want to start being a national player at some point,” Wanner told SZ in September. But he obviously doesn’t see this beginning yet. The wait for Wanner continues.
