According to Goal.com, Gnabry was included in Germany's squad announced by Klopp despite having played only 13 minutes in the last five months.

Last week, Jürgen Klopp surprised many when announcing his first squad list. The new Germany manager called up 16 new players to his 44-man squad, including one who hadn't played in over five months when Klopp took charge: Serge Gnabry.

The 28-year-old winger suffered a serious adductor strain in mid-April. As a result, he missed not only the end of Bayern Munich's season and the North American World Cup, but also the preseason and the start of the campaign. Gnabry only returned the day after the squad announcement was made, playing 13 minutes in a 7-0 victory over Union Berlin.

Klopp's decision to call him up to the German national team is itself a significant signal. Moreover, alongside Nico Schlotterbeck, Musiala and Finn Dahmen, Gnabry is one of four players permitted to remain with the squad throughout the entire FIFA window.

For some players who were not selected, Klopp's special consideration for Gnabry, along with some of his explanations for the omissions, could come as a surprise. Undav was not selected because, according to Klopp, "he hasn't really found his rhythm yet this season". Despite an Achilles tendon issue, Undav has played 6 matches this season and provided 4 assists. Sané has featured in all of Galatasaray's official matches this season, but Klopp explained that "he hasn't found his place yet".

The recent performances of these two players have not been convincing. It's understandable that Klopp didn't select them and instead looked for some fresh faces. But Gnabry is clearly far less "in rhythm" and has "found his place" even less than Undav and Sané. He lacks match fitness and is far from 100% physically. The difference is that, unlike these two former World Cup regulars now overlooked, Klopp clearly still believes Gnabry can play an important role in Germany's new era.

Gnabry also genuinely benefited from missing that embarrassing World Cup, and therefore appears less burdened in the eyes of Klopp and supporters. Furthermore, at 28 years old, he is still in his prime. In this 44-man squad, only captain Kimmich (also 28) and new starting goalkeeper ter Stegen (34) are close in age to Gnabry.

Overall, Gnabry's recent resurgence is evident. In fact, not long ago, he was also heavily criticized. This was true for the national team and even more so at Bayern Munich. Too expensive, injury-prone, and so on. Like Sané, Goretzka and, at times, even Kimmich, Gnabry had come to represent, to some extent, the stagnation of German football.

Until spring 2024, Gnabry was still considered a candidate to leave Bayern. Then, fate suddenly turned particularly favorable for him. Thomas Müller departed to Vancouver, Musiala suffered a serious injury, and Bayern had no intention of spending heavily on new signings. Serge, we're offering you a chance as a starter in the number 10 role! Gnabry seized this unexpected opportunity.

Last season, he contributed 21 direct goal involvements and, as a free agent between Kane, Olise and Luis Díaz, brought more variety to Bayern's attack. Especially in the Champions League, he delivered impressive performances on several occasions. When Bayern defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the league phase, Gnabry played an almost perfect first half before being substituted at halftime following Díaz's red card. He also performed well in the Round of 16 against Atalanta and the quarterfinals against Real Madrid. Meanwhile, what was long considered impossible became reality: Gnabry signed a new contract with Bayern Munich in February, extending it until 2028.

The only thing that really stopped him was that serious injury before the most critical stage of the season. Had Gnabry maintained his form from the league phase against Paris Saint-Germain, what might have happened in the semifinals?

In recent months, Gnabry has been focused on recovery, and competition in his preferred attacking midfielder position at Bayern has also intensified. Following an impressive World Cup display, Bayern signed Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven for a transfer fee of 50 million euros. Musiala has also recently begun approaching his best form again. Olise and Lennart Kilian can also play centrally.

As Gnabry worked toward his return and prepared to face Union Berlin, coach Kompany said: "We haven't forgotten how good he was last season". Kompany believes that if Gnabry "returns to his level, all the other players in the same position must also perform well". "This will create a healthy competitive atmosphere within the team, which is exactly what we ultimately want".

With Klopp's backing, Gnabry is now in a comfortable position to regain his form within the Germany setup. Gnabry said: "For me, it's a huge advantage that he included me in the squad, allowing me to maintain my match sharpness". It's also entirely possible that he makes his comeback appearance for Germany in one of these four matches.

Traducido por IA.

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