"You can't be that blind": Julian Nagelsmann explains Manuel Neuer's return to the DFB-and outlines one surprising "prerequisite"

"That is why we decided to contact him and ask if he would like to play for the national team again," said Nagelsmann. The impetus for the comeback therefore did not come from Neuer, who had announced his retirement of his own accord after Euro 2024, but from the national team manager. 

The idea had been discussed as early as the start of the year, after first-choice World Cup goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered another injury shortly after returning to action with FC Girona. "I didn't record the exact date, so I can't confirm it," Nagelsmann explained, adding, "But we informed Olli back in March that I'd met with Manuel after Marc ter Stegen's injury and briefed him on the situation, because Manu is an extremely deserving player."

In the weeks that followed, Neuer produced some outstanding performances, such as in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, but he also made some costly mistakes, such as in the second leg. 

As Nagelsmann explained, Neuer's form was only part of the discussion; another key factor was his contract situation: "What is happening with his deal? Is he even going to keep playing? He decided relatively late that he would extend his contract with Bayern. For us, that was a prerequisite – we needed clarity on what his future holds." It is surprising that this was a "prerequisite" for Nagelsmann, given that the World Cup follows directly after the season.

Neuer only signed his contract extension with Bayern until 2027 last Friday, after the original squad announcement date of 12 May that Nagelsmann had already brought forward by nine days to this Thursday. That means the final decision on his return was made at very short notice. Nagelsmann later justified the move—citing not only sporting performance and the new deal but also Neuer's natural authority.

"I don't possess what Manu has; even Olli has less of it. He has a huge number of titles, an aura, and a massive reputation," said Nagelsmann. In making this comparison, the national coach added that he had also "made sure Olli didn't feel sidelined" during his conversation with Baumann.

In the coach's view, Neuer's special influence, with a fifth World Cup on the horizon, could still benefit the team even if injury strikes. As noted, Neuer has already missed four matches this season due to muscle injuries. In Saturday's 5-1 win over 1. FC Köln, he came off with left calf trouble and is now a doubt for Saturday's DFB Cup final against VfB Stuttgart.

"Manu helps the team when he plays. But there have been periods recently when he hasn't played, and that could happen to us too. We can't be blind to that; we have to factor it in," said Nagelsmann. "If we end up playing a lot of games, we'll all be extremely happy. If a match is called off, which can happen, then we'll have Olli as a goalkeeper who will do just as well as he did in the World Cup qualifiers."

Baumann—whom Nagelsmann calls a "world-class second-choice solution"—admitted the decisive phone call was "a blow", adding, "Over the last four weeks, as this issue gained momentum, Olli has had a tough time." Nevertheless, he remained "extremely committed to never letting the team down."

Nübel is the third-choice goalkeeper behind Neuer and Baumann, while Jonas Urbig will travel to the World Cup as a dedicated training goalkeeper. "We want to have a fourth goalkeeper available in training who throws himself into everything he can, who always gives it his all," explained Nagelsmann. "The players want to keep shooting for another 45 minutes after every training session – they're not always allowed to, but occasionally. So it's good to be able to spread the workload across several people."

The 22-year-old Bayern Munich backup is "a lively lad who brings good energy to the group." Should an injury occur in Qatar, Nagelsmann already has a ready-made replacement on hand, eliminating the need to fly someone in from Germany.