Nagelsmann explains decision to call up Pavlovic and leave Goretzka out

Julian Nagelsmann has explained his decision to call up Aleksandar Pavlovic and snub Leon Goretzka.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann announced his squad for the upcoming friendlies against France and the Netherlands on Thursday, giving first call-ups to six players, including 19-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Meanwhile, he has opted to leave out Pavlovic’s more experienced Bayern teammate Leon Goretzka, who also operates in central midfield.

Ezplaining the decision at a press conference, Nagelsmann said (via @iMiaSanMia on social media platform X):

“The decision was not between Pavlović and Leon. Leon’s last few games have been much better, that’s right. It’s about finding the right players for the roles, I see other players ahead at the moment. We had others in mind.

“Through very good performance and an understanding of the role, the door is not closed. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation [with Goretzka], as you can imagine, but you have to make decisions.”

It was recently revealed that Pavlovic had been approached by the Serbian Football Federation. But according to Nagelsmann, that had nothing to do with his decision to include the youngster in his squad.

“He has shown very strong performances recently. He was one of the best players at Bayern. Of course this was not a political decision. We didn’t have to convince him. That was the consequence of the performance principle. We’ll see whether it’ll be enough for the Euros. He talks in the dressing room and doesn’t hide despite his young age,” said the Germany coach.

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