Berlin: Uncapped midfielders Joshua Kimmich, Julian Brandt and Julian Weigl were yesterday included in Germany’s provisional 27-man squad for next month’s European championships in France.
Defensive midfielder Kimmich, 21, caps a meteoric rise having only broken into Bayern Munich’s first team earlier this season and has been now promoted from Germany’s Under-21 team, as has 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt.
Like Kimmich, Borussia Dortmund’s defensive midfielder Weigl, 20, has made the national team after just a full season in the Bundesliga.
Head coach Joachim Loew has up until May 31 to cut his squad from 27 to 23 while Germany play home friendlies against Slovakia on May 29, then Hungary on June 4, before their opening Euro 2016 game against Ukraine on June 12.
There were few surprises in Loew’s squad, announced at the French Embassy in Berlin and 14 of the squad which won the 2014 World Cup have been included.
Germany’s captain and midfield general Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has 114 caps, has been included as he recovers from a torn medial knee ligament.
“We’ll have to wait and see when he can train with us. He is back to full running training, but we have to work out when he can train with the team,” said Loew.
Germany will start their pre-Euro 2016 training camp in Ascona, Switzerland, next Monday and as well as Ukraine, they face Poland and Northern Ireland in Group C at Euro 2016.