Round 3! Marc-André ter Stegen hits back at Manuel Neuer for “inappropriate” statements

Marc-André ter Stegen will travel back to Germany tomorrow for FC Barcelona’s clash against Borussia Dortmund. Apart from the highlighted game, ter Stegen will have the spotlight on him off the pitch as well due to his recent dispute with Manuel Neuer.

Ter Stegen publicly expressed his disappointment that he was not starting against Germany’s game against Northern Ireland. Calling the trip with the national team a ‘’tough blow,” ter Stegen admitted he was unhappy with his current situation on the national team situation.

As a direct consequence, Manuel Neuer responded by stating that the “team is the most important thing,” hinting that ter Stegen’s comments do not help the squad harmony.

In a press conference before the Borussia Dortmund crash against Barca, ter Stegen was not shy to elaborate on his feelings on the matter:

Of course, I have something to say about that. You can’t call for competition and expect the players who don’t play to be happy about it. No one has to say anything about my feelings, that’s my personal opinion. If you look at the last few years, how I have conducted myself, then such statements are inappropriate!

So, round 3 has started. Ter Stegen is defending himself after Neuer’s comments. There are not many national teams that would bench a player such as ter Stegen but Germany’s head coach Jogi Löw has not wavered. The last word in this conversational duel seems far from being spoken.