Germany taking Moukoko, 17, to World Cup; Reus misses out
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Germany taking Moukoko, 17, to World Cup; Reus misses out
BERLIN (AP) — Germany is taking 17-year-old striker Youssoufa Moukoko to the World Cup though Borussia Dortmund teammates Marco Reus and Mats Hummels have missed out.
Coach Hansi Flick named his 26-man squad for Qatar on Thursday, rewarding Moukoko for scoring six goals and setting up four more in 13 Bundesliga appearances this season. Moukoko is the youngest player to clock 10 career Bundesliga goals. Last season, he became the youngest player to appear in the league.
Werder Bremen forward Nicklas Füllkrug was another surprise callup, filling a gap left by Timo Werner’s injury. Füllkrug has 10 goals in 13 Bundesliga games this season.
Before Flick named his squad, he referred to the human rights situation in Qatar and recent homophobic comments made by former Qatar player Khalid Salman, a World Cup ambassador.
“It leaves us speechless, stunned,” Flick said of the comments.
Reus is missing out on a major tournament yet again. The Dortmund captain has struggled to recover from an ankle injury in September during the Ruhr derby win over Schalke. Reus made two brief appearances since but complained of increased pain last weekend.
Reus missed Germany’s World Cup win in 2014 with an ankle injury sustained in a warmup game, and a groin injury ruled him out of the 2016 European Championship. He played in Germany’s unsuccessful World Cup defense in 2018 but skipped the next European Championship to recover after his season with Dortmund.
Hummels has played well this season, but he is also susceptible to injury and Flick evidently had doubts about whether the center back could deal with the rigors of a month-long tournament.
Bayern Munich players again have prominent roles within the squad – goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and midfielders Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Thomas Müller will be expected to bring their experience to bear.
Germany plays Japan in Doha on Nov. 23, four days before it faces Spain in Al Khor, where it also plays its last game in Group E against Costa Rica on Dec. 1.
