Nagelsmann Warns Ter Stegen: Starting Position at Barça, Key in Germany

German coach Julian Nagelsmann has made it clear that Marc-André ter Stegen will have to regain his place as a starter at Barcelona after his recovery from surgery to secure his place as Germany’s number one goalkeeper. Ter Stegen, the goalkeeper and captain of Barcelona, underwent successful surgery on his lower back this week. However, he faces a challenge to maintain his position in the team, as the Catalan club signed Joan García last month.

He is our number one if he is in shape and if he is the number one in his club.

Julian Nagelsmann

Nagelsmann emphasized the importance of Ter Stegen regaining his starting position at Barcelona to be considered for the German national team. The coach added that the goalkeeper deserves the position, but must meet the necessary conditions, like any other player. Barcelona has not specified the exact time of Ter Stegen’s absence. However, reports indicate that the club could present a report to LaLiga’s medical commission, suggesting a four-month absence. According to LaLiga regulations, the club could free up a portion of the player’s salary for registration if the absence is for at least four months. Ter Stegen, for his part, had mentioned that the doctors recommended a recovery time of around three months.

Nagelsmann expects Ter Stegen to return before the end of the year. In my mind, I know that Marc will be back in December. He will play both matches [for Germany] in March, also in June, and then he will play in the World Cup. In 2023, Ter Stegen was out of action for 66 days due to another back surgery. In addition, he missed a large part of last season due to a knee injury, which led Barcelona to sign Wojciech Szczesny. Szczesny, who came out of retirement to sign for Barcelona, recently signed a new two-year contract with the club to cover the position of Garcia.

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A source revealed that Barcelona was willing to let Ter Stegen leave this summer after the arrival of Garcia, but the player was reluctant to do so. Ter Stegen’s goal is to recover and compete for the starting position, hoping to be Germany’s goalkeeper in the World Cup. Ter Stegen arrived at Barcelona from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014 and has been the undisputed goalkeeper of the team since 2016.