Manuel Neuer spoke about Jonas Urbig at the German national team’s press conference. The World Cup champion believes the Bayern goalkeeper is on a promising path, but avoids making a clear statement about his role as the future No. 1 for the DFB.
Jonas Urbig is considered one of Germany’s greatest goalkeeping talents at FC Bayern. After the 21-year-old made several key appearances for Munich last season, he is increasingly being touted as a possible successor to Manuel Neuer on the national team.
At the DFB press conference, Neuer was asked specifically about this topic. The long-time No. 1 for the German national team praised the young Bayern goalkeeper but did not want to prematurely declare him the next starting goalkeeper.
“He’s on the right track and it’s entirely up to him. But I also have to say that my other teammates are performing very well for their clubs. I have respect for all of our goalkeepers,” Neuer explained.
With this, the 40-year-old makes it clear that while Urbig has the best credentials, he must still earn his place at the top by competing with other German goalkeepers.
Neuer: Final Tournament with Germany
At the same time, Neuer also spoke about his own future on the national team. The Bayern captain made it clear that the current tournament will be his last major competition for Germany.
“This will be my last tournament for Germany; I don’t plan to participate in the European Championship in two years,” said Neuer.
This marks the definitive end of the 2014 World Cup champion’s era. Since his debut in 2009, Neuer has been a defining figure on the German national team for many years and is considered one of the most successful goalkeepers in soccer history.
Despite the discussions surrounding his retirement, Neuer currently wants to focus exclusively on the tournament. The Bayern star also declined to comment on a possible Round of 16 matchup against France.
“We want to secure our spot in the knockout round after our second game against Ivory Coast. Then we can make further plans. I know there’s a lot of talk about France, but we don’t want to think about that just yet. Our focus is entirely on the next game,” the goalkeeper emphasized.
Even with his impending departure in mind, Neuer remains calm: “I want to look forward to every game and not dwell on my departure or what might be my last game.”