The last-minute swap between Lennart Karl and Karim Adeyemi on the DFB roster apparently has a specific reason behind it. According to Sky, the decision is purely a precautionary measure regarding the 18-year-old Bayern youngster.
According to the report, Karl had already been dealing with minor muscle discomfort last week. This was apparently one of the reasons why the forward did not play in FC Bayern’s 7-0 rout of Union Berlin on Friday.
Now, the team does not want to take any unnecessary risks with the youngster. Karl will therefore remain in Munich for the time being and follow an individualized training program before traveling to join the German national team at a later date.
Karl is being given additional time to recover
Originally, national team coach Jürgen Klopp had planned to include the Bayern player in the first part of his two-part XXL squad. Karl would thus have been available for the matches against the Netherlands and Greece.
On Monday, however, the DFB changed its plans at the last minute. Karim Adeyemi was called up to the first group in place of Karl. Initially, the only reason given was load management.
Information from Sky provides the specific background. According to this, Karl is not seriously injured. Rather, the additional time is to be used to fully recover from minor muscular issues.
Caution is likely to play an especially important role with the 18-year-old. Karl had missed the World Cup this summer due to a muscle injury that had sidelined him during the crucial preparation phase.
DFB debut merely postponed
For Karl, this change doesn’t mean that Klopp has to do without him entirely. The Bayern youngster is still expected to join the national team for the second half of the international break.
Until then, he’ll train individually and get extra time to get back to 100 percent physically. Adeyemi, on the other hand, is already available for the first two matches against the Netherlands and Greece.
Karl could then see action in the matches against Serbia and in the rematch against Greece.
For Bayern and the DFB, the young player’s health is the top priority. The swap was apparently not made based on a sporting decision against Karl. His first opportunity under Klopp is simply being postponed by a few days.