Germany Suffers Major Blow Just Before World Cup

Not even a week had passed since Lennart Karl scored his first goal in a Germany jersey. All his dreams revolved around the World Cup. But just five days before the tournament's start, those dreams were shattered. The young German footballer was ruled out at the last minute due to a muscle injury. Asan Ouedraogo has been called up to the squad in his place.

The 18-year-old winger, Karl, had an outstanding season with Bayern Munich, winning a domestic treble with the club. He received his first national team call-up last March and subsequently secured a place in the World Cup squad. Last Sunday, he even tasted his first goal for Germany against Finland.

However, during training in Chicago on Friday, Karl tore a muscle in his left thigh. After being taken to the hospital, the sad news arrived: his World Cup was over.

Replacing the Bayern Munich wonderkid in Germany's squad is Leipzig midfielder Asan Ouedraogo.

A devastated Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said of losing Karl: "I feel terrible for Lenny. With his vibrant presence, creativity, speed, and personality, he had integrated brilliantly with the team. The fact that he won't be able to play in the World Cup is a massive blow for him and for all of us. The only small consolation is that he is still very young and has many more tournaments ahead of him."

The coach also has faith in Ouedraogo, who is replacing Karl: "In Asan Ouedraogo, we are getting a player who, like Lenny, had an excellent start with us. He is also extremely talented and was born to play with courage and freedom."

Germany will begin their World Cup campaign against Curaçao in Group E on June 14. Before that, Nagelsmann's side will face hosts the United States in a preparatory friendly on Saturday.