“If he keeps this up, you can’t leave him out” – Hoeneß backs in-form Undav for World Cup call-up

VfB Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeness believes it will be very hard for Julian Nagelsmann to leave Deniz Undav out of his World Cup squad if the striker continues his current run of form.

Deniz Undav continued his impressive run of form on Wednesday, registering a goal and an assist in VfB Stuttgart’s 3-0 DFB-Pokal quarter-final victory over Holstein Kiel.

With 15 goals and nine assists in 27 appearances across all competitions for the Swabians, the numbers speak for themselves. For Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß, there is little doubt that his striker deserves a call-up to Germany’s World Cup squad this summer if he continues in the same vein.

“He doesn’t just score goals, he sets them up too. He’s incredibly important and a very central player for us,” Hoeneß said in a post-match interview.

“If he keeps this up, you can’t leave him out – you have to include him.”

Undav, who last featured for Germany in June 2025, made no secret of his ambition to be part of the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“That’s my goal. You have to perform, and I’m doing that right now”.