Klopp Supports Undav Despite Omission from Germany Squad

Deniz Undav is out of Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany squad – but not out of his plans.

According to Bild, the national team coach still counts the 30-year-old VfB Stuttgart striker among his key figures for the future. The two are even reported to have already met in person in Stuttgart to discuss what comes next for the national side.

The message from that meeting is clear: this is not a sporting demotion. It’s a medical one.

Fitness, Not Form, Costs Undav His Place

Undav’s absence is said to be solely down to his current fitness. Persistent Achilles tendon problems have dogged him for weeks. He has been unable to complete either of Stuttgart’s first two Bundesliga matches, forced off early each time, and in the 2-1 defeat away to TSG Hoffenheim at the weekend he only came on as a substitute.

He is now expected to use the upcoming international break as a rehabilitation block, a chance to get his body right before the season hardens and the national team calendar intensifies.

In the league, the numbers underline his slow start. Undav is still waiting for his first goal involvement of the Bundesliga season. No goals, no assists there yet. But his creative touch has not completely deserted him.

In the DFB Cup win over Hansa Rostock and the Champions League victory against Viking Stavanger, he delivered two assists in each game. Four assists in two knockout matches – a reminder of the vision and final pass that turned him into one of Germany’s most prolific forwards last year.

From Record Scorer to Watching Brief

Last season, Undav was the standout German striker. Across all competitions he scored 25 goals and added 14 assists, the highest-scoring German forward in the game. Those numbers forced him into the national conversation and then into the squad.

At the World Cup in North America, during Germany’s much-discussed collapse, he was one of the few who offered genuine spark. Used mostly as a super sub, he injected energy and threat into a faltering side. In the round-of-32 defeat to Paraguay he finally earned a starting spot, but this time he could not influence the game and remained ineffective as Germany crashed out.

Even so, his international record stands up. Thirteen caps, nine goals. A strike rate that normally guarantees trust, not exclusion.

That is why Klopp’s stance matters. The coach is said to still see Undav as part of his long-term core, banking on the idea that once the Achilles settles, the penalty-box instincts will return with it.

Mixed Stuttgart Fortunes in Klopp’s First Squad

Undav is not the only Stuttgart name missing. The club’s other two World Cup players, Angelo Stiller (25) and Jamie Leweling (25), have also been left out of Klopp’s first Germany selection.

Stuttgart are still represented, though. Finn Jeltsch (20), Maximilian Mittelstädt (29), Josha Vagnoman (25) and Chris Führich (28) have all made the cut, a nod to the club’s resurgence and the profile of players Klopp wants to work with.

So while Undav watches this international window from home, the door behind him is not closing. It is being held open, waiting on a clean bill of health and the return of a striker who, only a few months ago, looked like Germany’s most reliable finisher.