It has been a very difficult season for Marc-André ter Stegen, who has made only three appearances for Barcelona and Girona.
The 33-year-old missed almost the entire first half of the season recovering from back surgery, while after the transfer to the Montilivi Stadium he played twice before suffering a thigh muscle rupture.
It is highly unlikely that Ter Stegen will return to the field before April, which means he will only have a few weeks to regain form before the World Cup this summer.
He hopes to start for the German national team at a major tournament for the first time, but injury problems have seriously damaged those ambitions.
Recent comments from Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann seem to confirm this situation.
According to "Sempre Barca", he admitted that the goalkeeper's current condition makes it difficult for him to be included in the World Cup squad.
"There are three things to consider for the goalkeeper position. It is a tragic injury (for Ter Stegen), which I am very sorry about. I will never rule him out completely because it is his turn. We have to make the right decision for him and for us. At the moment, the situation is not favorable," he said.
At 33 years old, Ter Stegen doesn't have many years left in football, especially considering his recent injuries.
This summer's World Cup would be the ideal moment for him to start for Germany at a major tournament, but now it seems that opportunity may elude him.
Germany has some promising young goalkeepers who are rising quickly, such as Bayern Munich's Jonas Urbig and Freiburg's Noah Atubolu.
Both will aim to replace Ter Stegen in the coming years, especially ahead of the 2030 World Cup to be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco./Express newspaper/
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