Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has revealed that there is no bad blood between him and his compatriot Manuel Neuer. The pair has been drawn into a debate as to who deserves to man the post for Die Mannschaft but the Barcelona shot-stopper claims he has a "good and professional relationship" with his skipper.
A few weeks ago, Ter Stegen expressed his frustration over being the second-choice goalkeeper in Joachim Lowe's side despite being ahead of Neuer in terms of form. The 27-year-old's sentiment's sparked a war of words which featured top officials in German football including Bayern Munich chairman Uli Hoeneß and DFB director Oliver Bierhoff.
The other subject in question, Manuel Neuer, also responded to his teammate's claims, insisting that he remains unfazed and is only committed to giving his best. Ahead of the upcoming international friendly with Argentina, Ter Stegen asserted that there are no issues between him and the Bayern Munich goalie.
"It's an opportunity for everyone and that's true for me as well," Ter Stegen told a pre-match news conference.
"This is a competitive sport. Everyone wants to play and that's the case for every position, not just the goalkeeper.
"There are no discussions, no disputes or any moments where we tell each other, 'Now we absolutely need to talk!'.
"We talk everyday and have a good and professional relationship."
"He has an advantage, I have to perform the best way possible, prove myself and make that decision as hard as possible."
He added: "The head coach has made his decision so it's up to me to perform well for both club and country.
"I will give everything to become the number one. That is my personal goal. But that is not related to other people.
"The big goal overall is a successful tournament [Euro 2020] for the team."
