No DFB friendly before the World Cup! Nagelsmann's latest major U-turn

Nagelsmann

Said El Mala will now travel with the Germany squad to the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Reports in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Bild claim that Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has told the 19-year-old 1. FC Köln forward that he will be included in the World Cup squad despite lacking any senior international caps.

Even before Thursday's squad announcement, the friendly matches in March sparked heated debate over El Mala's omission. The attacking winger was one of the Bundesliga's breakout stars last term, yet his impressive goalscoring form for Cologne was not enough to earn a place in the squad to face Ghana and Switzerland.

Nagelsmann justified this decision—and the simultaneous selection of Bayern's rising star Lennart Karl—by stating that, in his view, El Mala had not received enough playing time at Effzeh under the then-manager Lukas Kwasniok. He also criticised the Cologne winger's defensive work.

"There is a difference between being at Bayern and being at Cologne. He simply needs to get more playing time at Cologne," Nagelsmann emphasised in his widely discussed kicker interview in early March. "This message is not directed at Lukas Kwasniok, whom I know as a coach who closely observes what he needs for his game, including in defence. He needs to be a regular starter at Cologne, playing in every match. Right now he's only on the pitch for about 50 per cent of the available minutes, and that's not good enough. The coaching staff isn't to blame; it comes down to the player and the consistency of his defensive work."

Greece U21 v Germany U21 - UEFA U21 EURO Qualifier

In his first Bundesliga season, El Mala has emerged as 1. FC Köln's lifeline.

Early in the campaign, Kwasniok often introduced El Mala as a substitute, despite the youngster's crucial contributions of goals and assists that kept the side afloat in the relegation fight. Since Kwasniok's resignation at the end of March, El Mala has started every Bundesliga match under successor Rene Wagner, finishing his debut top-flight campaign with 13 goals and five assists.

He then showed he could also make an impact at international level with the German U21s. Coach Antonio Di Salvo welcomed Nagelsmann's omission with open arms, and El Mala fired the German youth side to victory in a vital European Championship qualifier against Greece. Having recently lost his grandmother, he broke down in tears during the celebrations. "When I scored, everything came pouring out. It was the most emotional moment of my life – I couldn't hold back any longer," he explained afterwards.

Now, with Nagelsmann's call-up for senior duty looming, El Mala may shed another tear—this time one of joy—although it will not be his first taste of life in the senior squad as World Cup preparations commence.

Back in November, Nagelsmann had already called up El Mala for the World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Slovakia, but sent him straight back to the U21s after the Luxembourg match without a minute of game time, as the young side were up against the wall in their European Championship qualifier against Georgia.