Nagelsmann: Goretzka with 'good chances' to play at World Cup

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said that Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka has "good chances" to be part of the World Cup squad despite his reserve player status at his club.

"As things stand now, Leon Goretzka, despite his lack of playing time at Bayern, has good chances to play and to have a similar role he had in the World Cup qualifiers," Nagelsmann told the Kicker sports magazine in an interview.

Nagelsmann sees Goretzka as a good choice for the offensive role in the double six, "a really stable, strong tackler," for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer.

"Because he's someone who also goes into the box, is strong in the air and brings good power," the coach said.

He explained that Germany doesn't really have anyone else with this profile, but rather similar types of players: "Pascal Gross, Angelo Stiller, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Felix Nmecha, even Robert Andrich – they all want the ball."

Nagelsmann said that there could be some surprises in the World Cup squad for certain roles.

"It's about who fits together. There will be decisions, I can already reveal that, which will probably not be met with great understanding. Not by the players, but also not by the general public," he said.

"You have to pay close attention to how a player deals with being 15th or 16th in our squad when he is considered a top-six player at his club. Can a player who is a regular at his club grow into such a role with us or not?"