A nomination for Klopp is likely to have surprised Undav and Sane above all

When Jürgen Klopp named his first squad last week, he sprang quite a few surprises. The new Germany head coach called up no fewer than 16 debutants in his 44-man group, plus one player who, at the time of the announcement, had not played a single match for more than five months: Serge Gnabry.

The 31-year-old attacker suffered a serious adductor injury in mid-April. It ruled him out of Bayern Munich's run-in and the World Cup in North America, as well as pre-season and the start of the campaign. Gnabry did not make his comeback until the day after the squad announcement. He played 13 minutes in the 7-0 win against Union Berlin.

Klopp's decision to pick him anyway is a striking show of faith. Especially as, alongside Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala and Finn Dahmen, Gnabry is one of only four players allowed to stay for the entire international period.

Gnabry once stood as a symbol of stagnation in German football

For one or two of those left out, Klopp's special treatment of Gnabry, paired with some of his reasons for omissions, is likely to have raised eyebrows. Deniz Undav is absent because, according to Klopp, he has "not really found his way into the season yet". Despite Achilles tendon problems, Undav has at least played six matches and laid on four assists. Leroy Sane, who had featured in every competitive match this season for Galatasaray, meanwhile had "not really found his feet yet", Klopp said.

Neither of the two has been particularly convincing lately. It is understandable that the Germany head coach is leaving them out and would rather test fresh faces. But Gnabry has certainly "found his way into this season" less and "found his feet" less than Undav and Sane. He has no match sharpness and is still physically a long way from 100 per cent. The difference is that, unlike the two World Cup starting XI players now being ignored, Klopp apparently believes Gnabry can play a leading role in the restart of the Germany team.

He certainly benefits from missing the embarrassing World Cup and therefore being seen by Klopp and the public as carrying less baggage. That is despite the fact that, at 31, he is already at a fairly advanced footballing age. In fact, in the 44-man squad only captain Joshua Kimmich, also 31, and the new old first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 34, are older than Gnabry.

Overall, it is a remarkable shift in how Gnabry is viewed. Not so long ago, he too was a constant source of debate. With the national team, but above all at Bayern Munich. Too expensive, too injury-prone and so on. Much like Sane or Leon Goretzka, and at times even Kimmich, Gnabry stood as a symbol of stagnation in German football.

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Serge Gnabry had a strong season with Bayern Munich

As recently as spring 2025, Bayern Munich viewed him as a candidate for sale. Then fate turned in his favour. Thomas Müller said goodbye to Vancouver, Jamal Musiala suffered a serious injury, and the Munich club did not want to spend on an expensive new signing. Serge, we would have a starting spot in the No 10 position on offer! And Gnabry took the unexpected chance.

Last season he registered 21 goal involvements and gave Munich's play an extra dimension as a free radical between Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz. He produced some outstanding performances, especially in the Champions League. In the win against Paris Saint-Germain in the league phase, Gnabry played a practically perfect half before Bayern took him off at the break because of Diaz's red card. He also shone in the round of 16 against Atalanta Bergamo and in the quarter-final against Real Madrid. In between, something happened that had long seemed unthinkable: Gnabry signed a new contract with Bayern Munich in February, until 2028.

Only the serious injury shortly before the decisive phase of the season stopped him. What might have been possible in the semi-final against PSG with a Gnabry in the form from the league-phase meeting with PSG?

Vincent Kompany: "We have not forgotten how good he was"

While Gnabry worked on his comeback in recent months, competition for his preferred position in attacking midfield intensified at Bayern Munich. After his strong World Cup, the Munich club signed Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of 50 million euros. At the same time, Musiala has recently been edging closer to his best form again. Michael Olise and Lennart Karl can also play in the centre.

As Gnabry's comeback against Union drew near, coach Vincent Kompany insisted: "We have not forgotten how good he was last season." If Gnabry "gets back to his level, everyone else in that position also has to be good", Kompany said. "Then you have that dynamic of positive competition again. That is what we ultimately want."

Now, thanks to Klopp's show of faith, Gnabry is in the comfortable position of being able to continue his comeback within the national team set-up. "For me, it is a huge plus that he is taking me with him and that I stay in rhythm there," said Gnabry. It is entirely possible that he will celebrate his Germany comeback in one of the four matches.

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