2 Germany stars set to miss UEFA Nations League clash against England after testing positive for Covid-19: Reports
Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka will miss Germany's UEFA Nations League clashes against England and Hungary in September after testing positive for Covid-19.
According to the BBC, the test within Germany's camp was carried out after a close contact of the players returned a positive test for Covid-19. Goretzka and Neuer returned positive tests on Wednesday (September 21) and are now self-isolating after leaving the national team's camp in Frankfurt.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper is set to be replaced by Hoffenheim's shot-stopper Oliver Baumann. Wolfsburg's Maximilian Arnold has been announced as Goretzka's replacement, with the Germans' next game taking place on Saturday (September 23) against Hungary in Leipzig.
Die Mannschaft will then fly out to London to face England at Wembley on Monday (September 26) in their final UEFA Nations League group stage game. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this year in June at the Allianz Arena.
Maximilian Arnold from @VfLWolfsburg_EN has been called into the squad by Hansi Flick and will join up with the team later today.
🆕 Maximilian Arnold from @VfLWolfsburg_EN has been called into the squad by Hansi Flick and will join up with the team later today. https://t.co/gh97jG7JHv
Germany are currently second in League A Group 3 of the Nations League with six points from four games so far. Hungary lead the pack with seven points, while the Three Lions are bottom with two points - three behind third-placed Italy.
Goretzka and Neuer are two of Bayern's most important players under manager Julian Nagelsmann. The German midfielder has scored once in six games across competitions for the Bavarians this season after recovering from a knee injury.
Neuer, meanwhile, has started and captained Bayern in each but one of their 11 games this season. He was benched against FC Viktoria Koln in the first-round DFB Pokal fixture, where Sven Ulreich played the full 90 minutes in his team's 5-0 away win.
Nagelsmann will be hoping the duo are fit and back in contention after the international break when Bayern face Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on October 1.
England add Liverpool star to their squad after Kalvin Phillips injury
England have added Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to their 28-man squad for their UEFA Nations League matches later this month, as per iNews. The former Sunderland midfielder replaced Kalvin Phillips after he recently picked up a shoulder injury at Manchester City.
Henderson has himself not played a single minute of competitive football since August 31 due to a hamstring injury. He was substituted in Liverpool's 2-1 win against the Magpies at St. James' Park and missed the Reds' 0-0 draw against Everton in the Premier League as a result.
Manager Gareth Southgate's England take on Italy on Saturday (23 September) before hosting the Germans three days later.