On the day of his sensational return to the German national team, Manuel Neuer still did not receive the all-clear from FC Bayern.
According to kicker, the 40-year-old new German No. 1 is still a doubt for Saturday's World Cup final against VfB Stuttgart.
According to the specialist magazine, a decision on whether Neuer would be able to play in Berlin was originally scheduled for Thursday, pending further examination of his injured calf. That call has now been pushed back to Friday morning, before the squad travels to the airport. Neuer remains sidelined and has yet to train.
Neuer was substituted after about an hour of Bayern's 5-1 Bundesliga win over 1. FC Köln due to recurring issues in his left calf, the same muscle that had already suffered two minor tears this season.
With the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico also in mind, the club will not take any risks and, if necessary, will hand stand-in Jonas Urbig the chance to shine in his first major final. It remains "quite possible" that the 22-year-old will start against VfB.
Manuel Neuer returns to the DFB goal for the World Cup: The 'aura' factor
Alongside Neuer, whose official U-turn on international retirement has now been confirmed, Urbig will also board the flight to North America. However, national team manager Julian Nagelsmann is bringing the goalkeeper—who will move from 1. FC Köln to Munich in January 2025—purely as a training partner. Urbig will not be included in the final squad.
The situation is different for Neuer, who actually retired in 2024. He is now set to be Germany's number one at another major tournament, as Nagelsmann confirmed on Thursday during the official squad announcement. That decision has caused political headaches, given the coach's previous comments about Oliver Baumann.
"I don't have what Manu has, and Olli has even less of it. He has won many titles, carries an aura and has a huge reputation," Nagelsmann explained, adding that he had reassured Baumann "so that Olli doesn't feel demoted".
Nagelsmann added that Neuer's injury history would not change his plans: "Manu will help the team when he plays. But there have also been recent periods when he hasn't played. That could happen with us too. You can't be deluded; you have to factor that in." "If we end up playing a lot of games, we'll all be extremely happy. If a game is ever cancelled – which can happen – then of course you have to factor that in. We'll have a goalkeeper in Olli who will perform just as well as he did in the World Cup qualifiers."