The German national team will have to do without Nico Schlotterbeck (26) at the World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The Borussia Dortmund center-back suffered a medial ligament injury in his left ankle during the group stage match against Ivory Coast on Saturday evening (2-1). This means the tournament is over for the 26-year-old, as the DFB announced on Monday afternoon. Under the heading "Squad Update," it states that the player "will be out for several months."
A serious problem was already evident during the match: Schlotterbeck injured his foot and had to be substituted at halftime. Antonio Rüdiger came on in his place. After the game, national team coach Julian Nagelsmann was primarily concerned about his regular center-back. The diagnosis now confirmed these fears. However, Schlotterbeck will "remain with the team in the USA for the time being," as the DFB further emphasized. "Get well soon, Nico! We're by your side!" the football association also sent encouraging words to the injured player.
No replacement nomination possible
For Nagelsmann, this is already the second player loss for the tournament. Previously, Lennart Karl had suffered a muscle injury, and Assan Ouedraogo moved up to replace him. Even before the squad nomination, his Munich teammate Serge Gnabry, who was considered a candidate for the starting lineup, had to withdraw from World Cup participation. In Schlotterbeck's case, however, the national team coach cannot react: FIFA's deadline for replacement nominations has expired. After a team's first match, the world federation only allows goalkeepers to be called up as replacements.
Rüdiger moves into focus
The loss at the beginning of the World Cup is significant because Schlotterbeck plays an important role in building up play from the defense and was the only left-footed center-back in the starting lineup. For him, this marks the second World Cup participation ending in disappointment, after the German team was already eliminated early in 2022. Antonio Rüdiger, who recently had to play second fiddle to Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah, should now benefit. He could now move into the starting formation for the third group match against Ecuador on Thursday. Schlotterbeck's BVB teammate Waldemar Anton and Malick Thiaw are available as additional center-backs in the squad.
