Who will replace Marc-André ter Stegen for Germany?
Marc-André ter Stegen has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury. Who will replace the recently minted Germany No.1 in goal for the national team?
Ter Stegen has had to wait a long time to be named Germany's first-choice goalkeeper, the Barcelona custodian having been unfortunate that most of his prime years coincided with Manuel Neuer's - perhaps the greatest of all time in the position.
But with Neuer hanging up his gloves to focus on his club football with Bayern Munich, Julian Nagelsmann had the game's best understudy in reserve in Ter Stegen, the former Borussia Mönchengladbach man who has blossomed in a decade with Barça.
But now a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee requires surgery. How might Nagelsmann replace Ter Stegen? bundesliga.com takes a look…
Option 1) The tried and trusted
Watch: The best of sweeper-keeper Manuel Neuer
Perhaps the most obvious thing to do would be to persuade Neuer that he should postpone his international retirement. The long-time Bayern and Germany captain has 124 caps - to Ter Stegen's 42 - and remains, at 38, a world class operator in the position.
He called time on a Germany reign that began in 2009 in August with 51 clean sheets to his name, saying: "It fills me with pride and a huge amount of gratitude to have played alongside all my teammates and to have captained the national team for over seven years".
Neuer effectively invented the modern sweeper-keeper interpretation of his role, one that makes him an asset on both sides of the ball, and Nagelsmann could do worse than talking him into extending that run just a little bit longer.
Option 2) The long-time heir apparent
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Alexander Nübel joined Bayern from Schalke in 2020 seen as the long-term successor to Neuer for club and country. Such has been Neuer's longevity, though, that Nübel has made just four senior appearances for the record champions and been out on loan for three years, first with Monaco and latterly Stuttgart.
He helped the Swabians to a runners-up finish in the Bundesliga last season, a point clear of Bayern, and was on the bench for Germany's recent UEFA Nations League matches against Hungary and the Netherlands.
Nübel never got on, and remains uncapped at 27, but his 11 clean sheets and 77 saves last season suggests he is nearing his prime, and he could well be Nagelsmann's best option moving forward.
Option 3) Always the bridesmaid?
Watch: The best of Oliver Baumann
If Nübel thinks he's had to wait on the sidelines then Oliver Baumann may be tempted to ask him to hold his Bavarian beer. The long-time Hoffenheim No.1 was first called up to the senior Germany squad in 2020, but has still yet to make his international debut.
Like, Nübel, he has featured in recent squads, with both acting as understudies to Ter Stegen for the latest Nations League games, and Baumann has a strong case of his own.
The former Freiburg man, who kept seven clean sheets in 20 youth international outings, boasted a Bundesliga-best 157 saves last season, at an average of one every 19 minutes he played. "For me, my huge dream of playing for the senior national team is still alive," Baumann said following the news of ter Stegen's injury. Could his time finally come at the age of 34?
Option 4) A familiar face
Behind Neuer and Ter Stegen, it hasn't been easy to gain a cap for Germany over the last 15 years, but Bernd Leno and Kevin Trapp have managed nine apiece - testament to their talent in the face of such fierce competition.
While Trapp has an injury of his own in the shape of a thigh strain that has ruled him out for the next few weeks with Eintracht Frankfurt, former Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal custodian Leno is fighting fit for Fulham and has a better chance of being called up for October's meetings with Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands.
Option 5) Time for new blood?
Neuer was 23 when he made his Germany debut against the United Arab Emirates in May 2009, a year older than Noah Atubolu is today, and Nagelsmann might consider letting the Freiburg shot-stopper kick off a generation of his own in the national team.
Atubolu was installed as Freiburg's first choice, ahead of Germany Olympic goalkeeper Florian Müller, after Mark Flekken left for Brentford at the start of last season, and has seized the opportunity with both hands.
After 24 youth international outings, Atubolu remains eligible for Nigeria, and there may be no better time to cap him.
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