National team
Flick believes in returning Müller: “An enrichment”
Thomas Müller (l) receives a lot of praise from national coach Hansi Flick. photo
© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
Thomas Müller is back. The national coach is bringing the Munich player back after the loss of top scorer Füllkrug. Hansi Flick believes that the 2014 world champion can still “be very important”.
Hansi Flick trusts Rio world champion Thomas Müller agrees to once again play an important role in the German national team on the way to the 2024 European Football Championship in his own country.
The national coach had brought back the 121-time national player and, with 44 goals, the most successful shooter in the current DFB squad for the international matches on Saturday evening (8.45 p.m./RTL) in Wolfsburg against Japan and next Tuesday in Dortmund against France.
“The loss of Niclas Füllkrug forced us to nominate a player,” said Flick, before the Japan game, once again justifying Müller’s subsequent appointment, who turns 34 the day after the France game. “Thomas has such experience. And he has fought his way back in Munich in the last few weeks. He played and did well,” said Flick about the Bayern professional. Müller missed most of the preparation for the season with the German record champions due to a hip injury.
Müller puts his ego aside
After the preparatory days in Wolfsburg, Flick sees his decision to bring Müller back into the DFB team confirmed. “When you experience him here, he is simply an enrichment for every team. Thomas is very experienced. He puts his ego aside. He is someone who sees the big picture,” explained the national coach. Flick believes: “Thomas can be very important for us and can also play a decisive role for us.”
Müller is initially expected to be on the bench against Japan. Flick did without the veteran in the five international matches after the early World Cup exit in Qatar. Müller played his 121st game in the national jersey on December 1, 2022 in a 4-2 win against Costa Rica. The loss of top scorer Füllkrug with a thigh injury helped him make a comeback.