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Teenage German footballer Lennart Karl may miss the 2026 World Cup after sustaining an injury in training, coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Friday.
Speaking in Chicago ahead of Germany’s friendly against the United States on Saturday, Nagelsmann said the 18-year-old attacker has been taken to hospital for further examination.
“To be honest, it didn’t look good. He’s going to the hospital now to get a scan done. We need to process the situation first, and so does he. We need a diagnosis in order to do that. Then we’ll see whether or not we call up a replacement,” Nagelsmann said.
However, the Germany coach did not disclose the nature of the injury.
Karl has enjoyed a breakthrough season with Bayern Munich, helping the club win the Bundesliga title under coach Vincent Kompany. The teenager also made an impressive start to his international career, featuring in Germany’s 4-0 victory over Finland on Sunday and providing an assist.
Meanwhile, Nagelsmann revealed that veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will not be fit enough to play in Saturday’s friendly against the United States. However, the coach expressed confidence that Neuer would be available for Germany’s opening World Cup match against Curacao on June 14.
“At his age, he doesn’t need a warm-up phase. He knows how to handle high-pressure situations. He’s on his way to peak fitness. However, we don’t want to take any risks tomorrow,” he said.
Neuer, who helped Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, was recalled to the national team in May after announcing his international retirement nearly two years ago. Germany will now await the results of Karl’s medical assessment before deciding whether a replacement will be called up for the World Cup squad.
