Germany have included 2014 World Cup-winning captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in their final squad for the 2018 tournament, even though he has only just returned from a long-term absence through injury.

But in a surprise omission, coach Joachim Loew left Manchester City striker Leroy Sane out of his 23-player list despite a strong season with the Premier League champions.

“Leroy has a huge amount of talent and he will be back in again because from September we will re-double our work with him,” Loew said. “But in his games with the national team he hasn’t quite done the business.”
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Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer made his first appearance since September in the 2-1 defeat by Austria in a rain-delayed friendly on Saturday and showed no ill-effects.

The 32-year-old who is considered key to Germany’s hopes of retaining the title had been sidelined for eight months after fracturing a metatarsal in his left foot last September in a recurrence of the same injury he suffered earlier in 2017.

Sane was cut from the squad with Timo Werner and the veteran Mario Gomez included as just two out-and-out strikers.

Neuer denied his inclusion was a risk, despite his lack of match practice.

“I’m not worried. I am no more a risk than any other player,” Neuer said.

The ‘keeper said his careful reintroduction had been a deliberate ploy — he didn’t play a single match for Bayern before joining up with the national squad.

Apart from an appearance in a specially-arranged match against Germany’s Under-20 team last week, the match in Klagenfurt in Austria was his first full appearance since September.

“I always thought I would be going to the World Cup and I didn’t want to take any risk,” Neuer said.

“Every training session is a test for me. If I don’t feel good I tell the coach because the success of the team is the absolute priority.”

Germany 23-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona/ESP), Kevin Trapp (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)

Defenders: Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Matthias Ginter (Moenchengladbach), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Niklas Suele (Bayern Munich), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea/ENG), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Juventus/ITA), Julian Draxler (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/ESP), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/ENG), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City/ENG), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)

Forwards: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart)

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