Klopp Excludes Undav from Germany Squad but Remains Supportive

Deniz Undav is out of Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany squad, but not out of his thoughts.

According to Bild, Klopp still views the 30-year-old VfB Stuttgart striker as part of his long-term plans and has already sat down with him in Stuttgart to talk about the future of the national team. The message from that meeting: the omission is about fitness, not faith.

Undav has been hampered for weeks by stubborn Achilles tendon problems. He was forced off early in each of Stuttgart’s first two Bundesliga games, then only made it off the bench in the 2-1 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim at the weekend. The international break now becomes his rehab window, with the expectation that he uses the pause to get himself fully right again.

The slow league start underlines the issue. Undav is still waiting for his first goal involvement of the Bundesliga season. His touch hasn’t deserted him entirely, though. In the DFB Cup win over Hansa Rostock and the Champions League victory against Viking Stavanger, he delivered two assists in each game, reminding everyone why his numbers still command respect.

Those numbers from last season remain striking. Undav finished as the highest-scoring German striker across all competitions, hitting 25 goals and adding 14 assists. At the World Cup debacle in North America, he emerged as one of the few positives, a super sub injecting life into an underwhelming Germany side. When handed a start in the round-of-32 loss to Paraguay, he could not influence the game, but his overall international record tells a different story: nine goals in 13 caps.

Stuttgart Squad Update

Klopp’s first squad still carries a Stuttgart flavour, just not the one many expected. Along with Undav, World Cup teammates Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling also miss out. Called up instead are Finn Jeltsch, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Josha Vagnoman and Chris Führich.

For Undav, the path back is clear. Fix the Achilles, find his rhythm in the Bundesliga, and force Klopp’s hand the way he did all of last season.