Manuel Neuer announced plans to take things easy when it comes to a return to Germany’s national team.
After consultation with national coach Julian Nagelsmann, the 37-year-old goalkeeper has decided to skip the country’s remaining friendlies in November 2023 against Turkey in Berlin and Austria in Vienna.
The 2014 World Cup winner said he will focus on his rehabilitation from a complicated broken leg caused by a skiing accident over 11 months ago.
The 37-year-old said he plans to return to the national team in March 2024 and will take up the fight to regain his number one status.
“I am still an ambitious player and I always want to play, and I want to be in the starting 11,” Neuer said, mentioning the Uefa Euro 2024 tournament hosted by Germany next summer.
The Bayern Munich keeper, who returned to action at the end of October in a league encounter against Darmstadt and made his first Uefa Champions League appearance this week against Galatasaray, admitted to still suffering from minor problems after his injury.
In the documentary “The Comeback Trail — Manuel Neuer’s road to recovery”, the keeper admitted to only narrowly having escaped occupational disability.
“It was a very serious injury. I am happy to be able to continue to play professional football at all, I must admit,” he said, adding that everything now feels like a bonus to him.
While Neuer is working to return to his best shape, Professor Peter Ubelacker, one of Bayern’s team doctors, spoke about “the worst injury we have seen of a Bayern player over the past ten years.”
Right after the accident, Neuer rang Bayern’s second team doctor Jochen Hahne, who initiated a helicopter rescue. An emergency operation on the same day is said to have helped the keeper start a months-long recovery with an uncertain outcome.
Neuer admitted his body is still showing some reactions but called the difficulties “normal”. Instead of immediately returning to the national team, “it makes sense for [Neuer] to attend further medical treatment and care about the little things that still need care.”
When it comes to the national team, Neuer’s rival, 31-year-old Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, has made strides in the Germany shirt, and the 117-cap Neuer admitted that ter Stegen is the current number one. The Bayern keeper last played for Germany shirt during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
