Julian Nagelsmann has named defender Mats Hummels in his first Germany squad for their upcoming international friendlies against the USMNT and Mexico later this month.
The 34-year-old last played for Germany in the 2020 European Championships (played in 2021) and was never called up by former Germany head coach Hansi Flick.
Hummels is the one of four Borussia Dortmund players in the 26-man squad, along with Niklas Sule, Julian Brandt and Niclas Fullkrug.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has been included, while RB Leipzig’s David Raum and Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno return to the set-up.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich, 32-year-old striker Kevin Behrens and Stuttgart midfielder Chris Fuhrich have all been called up for the time in their careers.
Hummels has been recalled by Nagelsmann (Photo: Getty Images)
Nagelsmann, 36, has also named five players from his former club Bayern Munich – Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Muller.
He said: “We are a new coaching team and want to see as many players as possible in the national team circle. Our goal is to get used to each other as quickly as possible in the short time we have and to try in the few training sessions to implement the content.
“I expect, even in this short time, that you can see that everyone wants to play for the DFB, that everyone wants to win games, even in the here and now. Everyone should be extremely focused and with that you can travel to the USA with the necessary fun, the necessary desire and, above all, the necessary greed.”
Nagelsmann was named Germany’s new head coach in September. He has taken over from Flick, who was relieved of his duties on September 10 after Germany’s 4-1 loss to Japan in an international friendly. Flick’s sole major tournament during his tenure ended with Germany’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup at the group stage.
Germany play USMNT on October 14, and face Mexico four days later.
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Germany’s search for a centre-forward has led them to 32-year-old Kevin Behrens.
The inclusion of Behrens is the eye-catching selection within Julian Nagelsmann’s first squad, despite a recall for veteran defender Mats Hummels and the omission of Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Karim Adeyemi.
Germany will face the United States and Mexico in friendlies during the upcoming break. Ahead of those games, his first as national team manager, Nagelsmann was expected to experiment at the top of the pitch. Hamburg’s Robert Glatzel was apparently being monitored, so too Cologne’s Davie Selke. But Behrens – a journeyman who has played as far down as the fourth tier of German football – has deservedly been rewarded for scoring four goals in six Bundesliga games, including a hat-trick of headers against Mainz in August.
Germany squad in full
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Bernd Leno, (Fulham), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Defenders: Robin Gosens (Union Berlin), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Niklas Sule (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), Malick Thiaw (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Chris Fuhrich (VfB Stuttgart), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Jonas Hofmann (Bayer Leverkusen), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Kevin Behrens (Union Berlin), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
(Photo: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)