Berlin (AFP) – Thomas Mueller insisted Sunday that he is not interested in a recall to the Germany team for Euro 2020 despite impressive recent displays for Bayern Munich.
“That is of absolute no interest to me at all. All I am focused on is playing well for this shirt,” said Mueller after Sunday’s goalless league draw with Leipzig.
Along with fellow 2014 World Cup winners Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, Mueller was abruptly told by Germany head coach Joachim Loew in March that his international career is over.
Mueller has been in great recent form with seven goals and nine assists in his last 15 games for Bayern.
Loew sees the next generation, including Bayern winger Serge Gnabry, Manchester City’s Leroy Sane and Dortmund’s Julian Brandt, ahead of the 30-year-old Mueller.
However Loew — who steered the national team to the 2014 World Cup — insisted the door is still open for the Mueller, Hummels and Boateng to play again for Germany, who face holders Portugal and world champions France in their Euro 2020 group.
“Sometimes things happen which you can’t account for, then one has to see, because you always need the highest quality in the team,” he said at half-time of Bayern’s draw with Leipzig.
Mueller scored 38 goals in 100 appearances for Germany having made his debut a decade ago.
However, he could yet still end up playing for Germany at a major tournament this year having been named in the preliminary squad for the Tokyo Olympics.
Teams at an Olympics are normally made up of under-23 players, but each squad may include three over-aged internationals to add experience.
The final Germany squad for Tokyo will be named at the end of the season and Hummels has also been included.
