Ter Stegen frustrated by reserve role for Germany

Berlin (AFP) – Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has voiced his frustration at playing second fiddle to Manuel Neuer in the German national team. 

Ter Stegen, 27, sat on the bench throughout Germany’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland last weekend, despite repeated assurances from coach Joachim Loew that he would get a chance to prove himself in 2019.

“It’s not easy to find an explanation for what I am experiencing,” Ter Stegen told reporters at a marketing event in Barcelona on Thursday.

“I am still trying everything, but this trip with Germany was a tough blow for me.”

The undisputed number one at Barcelona, Ter Stegen has struggled to usurp Neuer in the German national team. 

He has made just one appearance for Germany this year, a 45-minute cameo in a friendly against Serbia last March. 

Loew has described Ter Stegen as a “world class goalkeeper”, but said Monday that he didn’t want to change his goalkeeper after a destabilising 4-2 defeat to the Dutch.

“I was in Barcelona and had a long chat with Marc-Andre, and I promised him that he would get his chance in the qualifying campaign,” said the Germany coach last week. 

In a recent interview with German website t-online, Ter Stegen said that he wanted to become Germany number one, “but not at any price”.