Long wait for #1

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Julian Nagelsmann feared goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen would abandon his role as national player ahead of the home European Championships after he was again demoted behind rival Manuel Neuer. After being promoted to current number one by Nagelsmann the previous week, ter Stegen, 32, admitted he considered resigning during the long wait for his tournament chance.

« The statements he made are completely understandable, legitimate and also understandable, » Nagelsmann said ahead of Tuesday’s Nations League match (8:45 p.m./RTL) in Amsterdam. In March, he and goalkeeping coach Andreas Kronenberg informed ter Stegen that they planned to have Bayern goalkeeper Neuer as their European Championship goalkeeper. « The conversation was not particularly pleasant, » Nagelsmann said: « Marc behaved very well and accepted the decision. But I was briefly afraid that he would tell me that I would not participate. That would have been a real shame.

Nagelsmann now wants ter Stegen to stay healthy, « to really invest in the two years leading up to the World Cup and then play a good World Cup ». The national coach is happy to still have a world-class man in goal. « Marc had a very good game against Hungary and was very present. He is a very important player for us because he has been at Barcelona for years and has a responsible position as captain.

Ter Stegen reported last week how difficult it was to always stand behind Neuer ahead of the World Cup and European Championship tournaments. « To be honest, there are always moments when you say: Wow, that was another blow. »