"This tablecloth is so badly torn that even the best tailor couldn't patch it up": the relationship between Manuel Neuer and Julian Nagelsmann is said to be completely broken

"We can all see how Julian Nagelsmann has been behaving over the last few months. He didn’t even realise he’d turned 40," said Matthäus on Sky90.

"On the day the match took place in Switzerland, he was standing in front of the cameras. He was asked whether he’d wished anyone a happy 40th birthday that day. Then Julian Nagelsmann said: ‘Who’s turning 40 today?’ He knew that Neuer was turning 40. The whole of Germany knew, the whole of Europe knew, every football fan knew that Manuel Neuer was turning 40, and you don’t just stand in front of the camera like that. So this tablecloth has been cut up in such a way that even the best tailor couldn’t patch it back together," explained the record-breaking international.

Neuer last stood between the posts for the German national team during their quarter-final exit at the home European Championship in July 2024. Following the tournament, the player with 124 caps announced his retirement from the DFB squad.

The goalkeeping position initially seemed well-capped: for years, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, a world-class keeper, had been waiting for his chance behind Neuer. However, recurring serious injuries have repeatedly hampered his career in recent times. He was dropped by FC Barcelona and loaned to league rivals FC Girona until the end of the season. But even there, he has made only two appearances so far due to injury, meaning that Oliver Baumann of TSG Hoffenheim currently stands the best chance of taking the role as Germany’s number one.

Ter Stegen’s ongoing injury problems have also led to growing calls for Neuer’s return to the DFB squad. If Matthäus has his way, the five-time World Goalkeeper of the Year would remain the best option despite his advanced age: “I would also say: if Manuel Neuer is fit and has match practice, he is still among the top five in the world. And the others we have aren’t among the top five in the world.”

Nagelsmann doesn’t have much time left for speculation anyway: the World Cup kicks off on 11 June in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Germany face Curaçao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E.