Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at Liverpool’s No.7 Florian Wirtz after being asked to name three fresh faces he would like to see in the Germany squad.
The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder was speaking on the Einfach Mal Luppen podcast with his brother Felix when the pair were asked to name three players they would like to see included in Jürgen Klopp’s maiden squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.
The premise was that the players had to be fresh faces who had not been taken by Julian Nagelsmann to the World Cup.
Yet the former Germany international named Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlovic and Jamal Musiala alongside Liverpool’s £116m man.
When asked which German stars who didn't go to the World Cup could step into the squad, Kroos, the former Real Madrid midfielder, replied: "(Aleksandar) Pavlovic, (Florian) Wirtz, and (Jamal) Musiala."
On the Einfach Mal Luppen podcast, Kroos' brother, Felix, was perplexed by his response before realizing that he was making a joke at the expense of the trio, who were expected to play much better.
After that joke answer, Toni Kroos named Tom Bischof, Lennart Karl, and Said El Mala as ones to watch under Klopp Felix went for Yann Bisseck, Grischa Prommel, and Kevin Schade.
The named trio have been viewed as three central pillars of Germany’s next generation and, of course, were all part of Germany’s World Cup squad.
Kroos was therefore joking that the three had been so easy to overlook at the World Cup that they could somehow be considered fresh additions to the squad.
In consideration of the 23-year-old’s World Cup performances, in which he provided three assists in four games, including the assist for Kai Havertz’s pivotal goal that allowed the Germans an equaliser and a potential route back into the Round of 32 tie against Paraguay, the joke does seem a tad misplaced.
Wirtz’s involvement in the tournament underlined why he has been viewed as one of Germany’s key players for the future, with his creativity providing an important outlet for Nagelsmann’s side.
The joke also comes at a time when expectations surrounding Wirtz remain exceptionally high, both at Liverpool and with Germany.
The £116m fee Liverpool placed on the former Bayer Leverkusen man immediately compounded the expectations nailed to his name, and Germany fans would have been expecting even more of a contribution in what could have been a big summer for their national team.
It was clearly intended as a joke rather than a serious assessment of Wirtz’s standing, but the former Germany midfielder certainly found a way to make the Liverpool star the punchline.
Nevertheless, the upcoming international break represents a fresh start for Die Mannschaft under the management of former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who has expressed his admiration for the German playmaker on several occasions.
For Wirtz, it provides another opportunity to show why Klopp and Germany continue to place such importance on his role in the national team.
Wirtz was given a rest as on Tuesday in the 3-1 win v Tottenham in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The attacking midfielder is expected to come back into the starting XI at Bournemouth on Sunday.
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