European Nations League: Strongly returning Volkrug regains his place in the German national team

German striker Niklas Volkrug crowned his brilliance since his return to Werder Bremen, after two disappointing experiences with England's West Ham and Italy's Milan, by being called up to the German national team.

Germany coach Jurgen Klopp summoned Wolkrug to the squad for the European Nations League matches against Serbia on Friday, and the Netherlands next week.

Volkrug has not played an international match since Germany lost to France in the third-place match in the Nations League in June 2025.

Although Klopp, who is under contract until after the 2030 World Cup, stressed that his focus was on youth and building the future, he found it difficult to ignore Volkrug.

The 33-year-old striker is currently the top scorer in the German League, ahead of Englishman Harry Kane, and has scored 12 goals in 11 matches in all competitions, after only managing to score four in two seasons after leaving Germany for West Ham.

Klopp admitted that “performance sometimes trumps everything else.”

Klopp said: “He proved his worth with very diverse goals... and almost all of them were amazing.”

Volkrug also has an excellent record with Germany, with 14 goals in just 24 matches, many of which he scored after coming on as a substitute.

Volkrug has a simple explanation for his level since his return to Bremen on loan for a full season from English West Ham, which is now in the second level of English football (Championship).

"It's my football home," Volkrug said of the club he joined for the first time at the age of 14.

He added: “Everyone sleeps better in their own bed.” “I feel completely comfortable here.”

Volkrug became the latest striker to suffer an unhappy experience at West Ham, a club that has become a graveyard for promising European strikers.

He scored only three times in 18 months in London, which was plagued by injuries. But, even if he was not among the top scorers, he won the love of some fans with his usual German frankness.

After conceding a late goal in a 1-1 draw at home with Southampton in April 2025, Volkrug said something to himself, using an obscenity to describe the “Hammers” performance, and West Ham fans used his statement to come up with a chant referring to him.

Volkrug's outspokenness has also won him support from many in Germany, where the gap-toothed footballer is seen as an antidote to the modern, image-conscious player.

“I couldn't stay fit,” Volkrug said of his struggles abroad.

He added: “The key is to stay in good shape and have a team around me looking for me and passing the ball to me when the right moment comes. "That's the key, and I think I've been able to prove that now."

Volkrug is at a scintillating level, but his recall highlights how empty the arena is in a country once famous for producing high-caliber strikers.

The four-time world champion has produced strikers such as Gerd Müller, Fritz Walter, Ulf-Kirsten, Rudi-Völler and Jurgen Klinsmann.

But Germany has not had an outspoken, high-caliber striker since Miroslav Klose, the 2014 World Cup winner.

Among the current generation, Kai Havertz, the English player for Arsenal, starts many matches in attack, but he has never been an outright scorer.

Volkrug said that Klose was and still is his role model: “Miro was my role model when I was a child. He said: 'I played until I was 38, and I became world champion at 36.'

On Friday, Klose praised Volkrug, saying: “I consider him a very talented player in the penalty area. Having someone on the team who knows how to find the net is very good.”

Manchester United announced, on Thursday, the departure of Michael Carrick from his position as coach of the first team, after a disappointing start to the current season, stressing its intention to appoint a permanent coach to succeed him as soon as possible.

The club said in an official statement that Carrick, who returned to Manchester United last January, led the team to occupy third place in the English Premier League during the 2025-2026 season, after achieving 12 victories in the last 17 matches of the season, and collecting the largest number of points among the competition’s clubs during that period.

Manchester United explained that it had reached a decision that it described as “extremely difficult” regarding the necessity of making a change in the technical staff, after the team’s disappointing start to the current season, in order to achieve the club’s ambitions.

The statement added: “Michael was and will always be one of the legends of Manchester United. “As he was during his playing career, he demonstrated the highest levels of commitment and professionalism throughout his return to the club.”

The club confirmed that Carrick's leadership and achievements during last season will continue to be appreciated, indicating that it intends to appoint a permanent successor to him as soon as possible.

The club did not announce the name of the next coach in its statement, only confirming that it would work to resolve the appointment as soon as possible.

Carrick's last match at the helm of the coaching staff was an exciting confrontation that ended in a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa last Sunday, after which he confirmed that he does not intend to give up his position, and that he is looking forward to benefiting from the international break as usual.

But Manchester United's management decided to intervene to save the season, after the team was content with achieving only three victories in all competitions since its launch.

Pochettino, who previously coached Tottenham and Chelsea in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France, stands out as a candidate to take over the job, in a major challenge to return the club to the competition, after it was unable to regain its position since the departure of its historic coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, 13 years ago.

Manchester United, which was the dominant force in English football for many years, lost ground to its rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, as its results continued to fluctuate and its technical staff changed.

The team is awaiting an anticipated confrontation against its traditional rival, Liverpool, at Anfield on November 22, amid anticipation to determine the identity of the new coach before the resumption of league competitions.