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Update 7:45AM EST
Sport1’s Florian Plettenberg’s report is not leaving any room for doubt. Plettenberg is reporting that Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller is OUT against Hungary and that Leon Goretzka will replace him in the lineup.
-News: @esmuellert_ will be out against (capsular injurie) according to BILD and to our information. #Goretzka is ready to replace him: „I have played that position before. I am ready to help the team. The tournament can really start for me now.“ @SPORT1 @berger_pj pic.twitter.com/zj6wz1q33X
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 21, 2021
Robin Gosens left Saturday’s match with an adductor issue, but appears to be okay for Germany.
Some other key players missed today’s training, though.
Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller, Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, and RB Leipzig’s Lukas Klostermann all sat out today.
Klostermann, of course, is expected to be out for a while as he is reportedly dealing with a torn muscle. Müller and Gundogan, however, were new to the injury list, while Hummels has been battling patellar tendon issues since the beginning of Germany’s training camp:
Personnel update ℹ️@matshummels, @esmuellert_ (both knee), @IlkayGuendogan (calf) and @lukaskl96 (muscle injury) are not involved in today's training.#DieMannschaft #GER #EURO2020 #GERHUN pic.twitter.com/OoAazr99kT
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) June 21, 2021
The early inclination is to think that the absences are more preventive than anything, but Bild is reporting Müller’s status in doubt — not just for the Hungary match, but for the round of 16:
Exclusive: Thomas Müller will miss the Match against Hungary and probably a possible round of 16 because of a knee Injury @BILD_Sport
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) June 21, 2021
Müller, Hummels, and Gundogan are all established veterans, who could likely use an extra day of rest in a tourney with this format, but the news on Müller is very concerning.
Gundogan, though, is in a more precarious position than either Müller or Hummels regarding his position as a starter. With Leon Goretzka breathing down Gundogan’s neck in an effort to win a starting midfield position, things could get very complicated for the Manchester City man very quickly.