Germany national team: Lennart Karl ruled out of the World Cup - who Julian Nagelsmann has called up
Lennart Karl is out of Germany's World Cup squad after a muscle bundle tear in training. Julian Nagelsmann has called up Assan Ouédraogo as his replacement.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
A setback in Chicago ends Lennart Karl's World Cup hopes just before Germany's final warm-up against the United States. The 18-year-old Bayern talent was injured in training, and Nagelsmann moved quickly to bring in RB Leipzig's Assan Ouédraogo.
Germany lost a young player, Lennart Karl, because he hurt a muscle in practice, like spraining something right before a big race. The coach has picked another young player, Assan Ouédraogo, to take his place.
Analysis
What happened
Germany's build-up to the World Cup took a hit in Chicago when Lennart Karl was injured during Friday's final training session before the last warm-up against the United States. WELT reports that the 18-year-old Bayern forward left the pitch before the end of training, was taken for an MRI, and was diagnosed with a muscle bundle tear.
Squad impact
Julian Nagelsmann said he felt deeply sorry for Karl and described the injury as a major shock for the player and the team. The coach had valued Karl's pace, spontaneity and attacking instinct, and the youngster had been competing with Leroy Sané and Jamie Leweling for the right-wing position. Because the World Cup starts soon, the federation moved quickly: RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouédraogo has been brought in as the replacement.
Ouédraogo is a flexible attacking midfielder who can play on the wing or through the middle. Nagelsmann said he expects him to play boldly and freely, pointing to his earlier national-team debut in November, when he came on against Slovakia in Leipzig and scored straight away.
Timing and rules
The article notes that Fifa rules allow injured outfield players to be replaced up to one day before Germany's opening match on June 14 against Curaçao. Germany had already lost Serge Gnabry because of a muscle-tendon injury, so Karl's absence narrows the coach's attacking options further at a sensitive moment in the tournament buildup.
Key points
- Lennart Karl was injured in Germany's final training session in Chicago and diagnosed with a muscle bundle tear.
- Julian Nagelsmann called the injury a major shock and said Karl had fit the team well.
- RB Leipzig's Assan Ouédraogo has been called up as Karl's replacement.
- Karl had been competing with Leroy Sané and Jamie Leweling for the right-wing role.
- Germany can still replace injured field players until the day before its first World Cup match on June 14 against Curaçao.
Ouédraogo has already shown he can settle in fast, since he scored on his national-team debut. If he adapts well, Germany still has a young and flexible attacker who can play wide or in the middle.
Karl's injury removes a player who had been leading the fight for the right-wing spot, forcing a late tactical reset. Germany also has to absorb another attacking absence after Gnabry's withdrawal, which reduces continuity before the tournament starts.
