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Germany manager Joachim Löw knows his defensive unit has come under great scrutiny over the past two years. Sure, the arrival of Mats Hummels and a healthy return to form by Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle should help the squad, but the 2014 World Cup winner gave his early thoughts on where some of his players are at during this stage of the preparations and what he expects from them.
“All players have to be at a good level, then we will decide. Toni Rüdiger has always played for us, he’s a center-back at the very highest level, he’s extremely important in his current form,” said Löw (as captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia).
Löw is expecting Bayern Munich center-back Niklas Süle to be ready to contribute as well.
“I don’t see him as a right-back. There are players who can fill the position better. He had a difficult time since March, he was injured,” said Löw. “He did extra shifts and will do the same for us. We have prepared a program for him. We’ll see how he feels in 10 days.”
Update #Süle: Zweiminütiges Vieraugengespräch vorm Training mit Löw. Der Bundestrainer, Dr. Hahne und die Fitnesstrainer haben am Donnerstagabend einen speziellen Trainingsplan für Süle entworfen. Mit Zusatzschichten soll er wieder topfit werden. @SPORT1 pic.twitter.com/B63ruvxw9M
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 29, 2021
Update #Süle: Two-minute face-to-face conversation before training with Löw. The national coach, Dr. Hahne and the fitness trainers designed a special training plan for Süle on Thursday evening. With additional layers, he should be in top shape again.@SPORT1
As for Hummels, Löw indicated it was like he and fellow returnee Thomas Müller had never left the squad.
“It’s as if they had never been away. They helped shape this national team for a long time. They’re feeling good,” Löw remarked. “Both are players who set the tone at their clubs. We expect the same from them here. Everyone enjoyed the reunion with them.”