Spoilt for choice, Germany ignore World Cup hero Goetze

BERLIN: Mario Goetze, who scored the winner in the last World Cup final, and Dortmund teammate Marco Reus have been unable to force their way into the Germany squad for two upcoming World Cup warm-up matches.
"In some positions, we have an extremely large choice, in others not," said Loew. "That's why we need versatile players."
The only key player unavailable is goalie Manuel Neuer, who is still recovering from a foot injury.
"The door to the national team is not yet shut," Loew said: "There are players we are continuing to monitor and who have a chance if they convince us in the next few weeks."
Neither Reus nor Goetze has played for Germany since 2016.
Reus, who missed both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Euros because he was injured, has sparkled in recent weeks since returning from another long injury.
"It seemed important to us to leave him to rediscover stability and to return to the highest level without pressure," Loew said.
Goetze, meanwhile, has been inconsistent for his club and was taken off at halftime on Thursday as Dortmund were knocked out of the Europa League by Salzburg. — AFP