Jürgen Klopp has named a total of 44 players in two separate squads for his first games as Germany coach.
The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund boss will lead his country into four Nations League games during the upcoming international break, against the Netherlands, Greece, Serbia and Greece again.
But he has divided the squad into two separate groups, the first of which will play the first two fixtures and features the likes of Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Nico Schlotterbeck.
The second will face Serbia and Greece and contains Florian Wirtz, Nick Woltemade and Karim Adeyemi, among others.
“I want to get to know as many players as possible,” Klopp said at a news conference, per German public broadcaster DW.com.
“There is no A or B team. The squads are put together in a way that makes sense on the pitch and in terms of character and experience.”
It continues Klopp’s unorthodox start to life in international football after he began by threatening to resign if he felt criticism was too overwhelming or the media was too intrusive.
Many of the players called up on Thursday have never played for Germany’s senior team. Some, like Elversberg midfielder Felix Keidel and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib, have only played a handful of top-flight club games.
“We’ve got a few guys here who will surprise you, but we see something in the guys and want to be there for their development,” Klopp said of the newcomers, per Bundesliga.com.
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“Lots of talent has caught our eye — so much that some aren’t even included.”
The only squad limit in the Nations League league phase is that teams must submit a list of 23 before midnight ahead of each game, but they can switch out players between games.
Klopp also confirmed that Marc-André ter Stegen would start as his No. 1 following the retirement of Manuel Neuer.
“I’ve known Marc-André for a long time,” Klopp said per DW.com.
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“He has the right amount of experience. He is a keeper that can play with the ball and he is also an excellent shot-stopper. Everything depends on performance.”
There is no place for Deniz Undav, who scored three goals and provided two assists at the World Cup before a round-of-32 loss on penalties to Paraguay spelled the end of coach Julian Nagelsmann’s tenure.
Galatasaray winger Leroy Sané also misses out and won’t add to his 80 caps for Germany.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
