Klopp Excludes Undav from Germany Squad but Keeps Future Plans

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

According to Bild, Klopp still views the 30-year-old VfB Stuttgart striker as part of his long-term plans and has already sat down with him in Stuttgart to talk about the future of the national team. This is not a cold cut. It is a pause.

The decision, the report says, comes down to one thing: fitness.

Undav has been wrestling with persistent Achilles tendon problems for weeks. He had to come off early in each of Stuttgart’s first two Bundesliga games of the season, and in the 2-1 defeat away to TSG Hoffenheim at the weekend he only made it on from the bench. The upcoming international break is now earmarked as rehab time, a chance for him to get his body right before the season really bites.

The numbers underline why this is a calculated risk rather than a loss of faith. Undav is still waiting for his first goal involvement in the Bundesliga this season, but he has already flashed his quality elsewhere. In the DFB Cup win over Hansa Rostock and in the Champions League victory against Viking Stavanger, he delivered two assists in each game. When the stage has lit up, he has found a way to contribute.

From top German scorer to watching brief

That matters because of where he is coming from. Last season, Undav was the most prolific German striker across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and adding 14 assists for Stuttgart. He bullied defences, linked play, and turned half-chances into headlines.

On the international stage, he was one of the few bright spots in Germany’s World Cup debacle in North America. Used mostly as a super sub in a side that never truly clicked, he still made an impression with his energy and eye for goal. In the round-of-32 exit against Paraguay he finally started, but this time the impact never came and Germany went out with a whimper.

Even so, his record in the shirt is hard to ignore: nine goals in 13 internationals. That is the return of a striker who usually makes his minutes count.

Klopp, though, is clearly taking the long view. For now, the priority is to get Undav’s Achilles right, not to squeeze him through another international window at less than full capacity.

Stuttgart’s mixed fortunes in Klopp’s first list

Undav is not the only Stuttgart name missing from the new era. The club’s other two World Cup players, Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling, are also absent from Klopp’s first squad. Three men who lived the chaos of North America will be watching the reboot from home.

Stuttgart are still represented. Finn Jeltsch, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Josha Vagnoman and Chris Führich have all been called up, a nod to the club’s resurgence and the depth of German talent in Sebastian Hoeneß’s squad.

For Undav, the message is blunt but not brutal. Get fit. Stay sharp. The door is not just ajar – it is waiting for him, if his body lets him walk through it.