A tragedy for Baumann and a total loss of credibility: Julian Nagelsmann's handling of Manuel Neuer's potential return to the DFB is a communications disaster

It is therefore surprising that the national coach has shown a lack of clarity and decisiveness regarding Manuel Neuer's potential return to the German national team. Appearing on ZDF's 'Aktuelles Sportstudio' on Saturday evening, Nagelsmann again declined to comment in concrete terms and emphasised that he had not yet contacted the players.

"I stand by my initial position that I will seek a conversation with the players first. The player is always contacted first. There is a 'Day X' when the squad is announced. If I start pre-empting and announcing things simply because I feel pressured and Germany is discussing certain issues, then I am not assessing everything I see. I am far from letting myself be swept along," the 38-year-old deliberately sidestepped presenter Jochen Breyer's questions.

Should Neuer's name still appear on Thursday's provisional squad list, however, the resulting lack of clarity would constitute a communications disaster and erode the coach's credibility. For months he had insisted that the conversation was pointless, given Neuer's definitive retirement from the DFB squad after Euro 2024 and his own plan to install Oliver Baumann as first-choice goalkeeper for the World Cup.

Should Neuer now be included, the about-face would stem from his own change of heart; Nagelsmann would simply be reacting to that retraction. Yet for many observers, the moment to act has already passed.

For TSG Hoffenheim's goalkeeper, a Neuer comeback would be a bitter blow. Since stepping up, the 35-year-old has rarely put a foot wrong in the national jersey; during the World Cup qualifiers he was at times outstanding, earning the number one spot ahead of Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

As recently as Saturday afternoon, immediately after Hoffenheim's 0-4 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach, Baumann appeared confident of travelling to the World Cup as the first-choice goalkeeper. Nagelsmann had, in a "one-on-one conversation", clearly and unequivocally "expressed his confidence in me. "I have my information. Full stop." Should the 35-year-old suddenly find himself demoted to second choice behind Neuer, it would feel like an unprecedented snub.

In a position where continuity matters most, such seesawing would be counterproductive. Should Neuer give the green light to a return, he would definitely travel to the World Cup as number one, relegating Baumann—who is actually well-established within the team—to the bench. The comparison cited by some experts with Toni Kroos's comeback ahead of Euro 2024 therefore does not hold water.

The whole affair could have been easily prevented by Nagelsmann.

According to Neuer, the pair were in regular contact, yet when talk of a potential return surfaced months ago, Nagelsmann should have called the goalkeeper in for a frank, face-to-face discussion and applied real pressure. By failing to do so, the coach missed a chance to secure an early, definitive answer on Neuer's international future. Instead, he appears to have let Neuer string him along, conceding only when overwhelming public pressure forced his hand.

On the pitch, the numbers do not all favour Neuer. While the 40-year-old's vast experience can be invaluable at a tournament, Baumann's season was hardly inferior. Neuer's outstanding first-leg display against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final is offset by a rise in high-profile errors.

With the World Cup only weeks away, the squad should be focusing solely on the tournament, yet this avoidable distraction continues to dominate the headlines. And it is unlikely to fade soon: no matter who starts in goal, the next mistake will inevitably spark another fundamental debate.