Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, is not buying suggestions by fans to drop Arsenal striker Kai Havertz due to his lack of goal scoring at the Euro Championship.
Havertz’s only goal so far was against Scotland in their opening game, he failed to live up to expectations in their last two matches, but substitute Niclas Fullkrug has provided two goals coming from the bench. German fans now want him to start instead of Havertz.
“If you look at it from the outside, a demand for Fulle (Fullkrug) is understandable, even though Kai comes off much worse in the public assessment,” Nagelsmann told RTL.
“He has a clear job in many games, which means that he doesn’t have many ball actions because he should create space for others. He did that exceptionally well.
“In our internal assessment, Kai is ranked much higher than he is in the public. For the striker, it’s not always just about scoring a goal. If you’re substituted and the opponent is already tired, you might have a little more space. Fulle has a good rating, but Kai is an important player for us.
“We’ll see who starts [against Denmark].”
Fullkrug has already broken a national record this summer. His goal off the bench last time out was his fourth as a substitute at a major tournament – no German player has ever managed more.
“Everyone gives it their all in training, tries to offer themselves,” Fullkrug said of his role as a substitute. “The coach has chosen the same team three times so far. He did this with a certain reason in mind.
“Of course, it helps if you can substitute players with certain weapons.”
Germany face Denmark Saturday night in their round of 16 clash.
