Germany will be headed to the Confederations Cup being held in Russia this summer. However, the World Cup holders will have to win that prize without several star names.
Manager Joachim Low opted for an experimental squad, leaving behind many of the big-name players who helped die Mannschaft win football’s biggest prize in 2014.
Mesut Ozil was one of the biggest names to be omitted, but not the only; as Thomas Muller was also left out of the squad. Muller was joined by fellow Bayern Munich team-mates Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng on the excluded list, with Sami Khedira, Marco Reus, and Toni Kroos also missing out.
Manuel Neuer and Julian Weigl were also left out, but their exclusion was down to injury.
These excluded players were part of the Germany squad that reached the Euro 2016 semi-final, meaning they returned to their respective clubs late and exhausted. With the World Cup taking place next summer, this will give the 2014 champions’ star players much needed rest.
Only three players from the Premier League were chosen, one being Ozil’s Arsenal team-mate Shkodran Mustafi. The center-back was joined by Emre Can of Liverpool and Leroy Sane of Man City. Elsewhere, Julian Draxler, Julian Brandt, and Joshua Kimmich were given nods.
Here's Germany's Confederations Cup squad in full
Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp
Defenders: Matthias Ginter, Jonas Hector, Benjamin Henrichs, Joshua Kimmich, Shkodran Mustafi, Marvin Plattenhardt, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule
Midfielders: Julian Brandt, Emre Can, Kerem Demirbay, Diego Demme. Julian Draxler, Leon Goretzka, Sebastian Rudy, Leroy Sane, Amin Younes
Forwards: Lars Stindl, Sandro Wagner, Timo Werner
