Barcelona star Marc-André ter Stegen has early this week been backed to depart the club during the January transfer window.
This comes amid an ongoing push on the part of the German national team for their goalkeeper to secure regular playing time ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
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Shot-stopper Ter Stegen of course finds himself in something of a difficult situation at club level at present.
Now in the closing stages of his recovery from a long-term spell on the sidelines, the 33-year-old finds himself as 3rd-choice in the pecking order between the posts in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona squad.
For this reason, Ter Stegen has been hotly tipped to move on, likely on loan, during the winter transfer window.
And one individual, as alluded to above, who is in full support of such a path forward is German national team boss Julian Nagelsmann.
Drawn on Ter Stegen’s status for the World Cup during an appearance in front of the media this week, tactician Nagelsmann explained:
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“Yes, last week we talked on the phone for a while. He’s fine, that’s what’s important for now. The winter transfer market is never easy. I don’t make it a condition that he has to play for a top club, that’s a matter of interpretation. What is a top-notch club? For him the important thing is that he is not 22 years old, it is important that he plays.
“Whether it is a top-flight European club or not, is not the most decisive thing. Of course, it would be good for him to play and also to play well, but the first thing is for him to play. I think there is no news yet, the situation is not simple.
“We have to see how he is in health, how he is in shape. Now he is back in training. You also have to look at it from the point of view of a club. It is clear that now there has to be a club that, obviously, is not very happy with its goalkeeper in winter. Otherwise, you don’t normally sign a goalkeeper of good category and the situation is not easy, but I trust that some club will do it, because Marc is a very good goalkeeper and now he is healthy again. We’ll see, I can’t influence that.”
Quotes via Diario Sport
Conor Laird – GSFN
