Klopp's Confidence in Undav Amid Fitness Concerns
Deniz Undav may be missing from Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany squad, but the door is anything but closed.
According to Bild, Klopp still counts the 30-year-old VfB Stuttgart striker as part of his long-term plans for the national team. The two are even reported to have already sat down together in Stuttgart to talk through the future. This is not a snub, it’s a pause.
The reason is clear and, as the report stresses, “solely and exclusively” down to fitness.
Undav has been battling persistent Achilles tendon problems for weeks. The issue has shaped his start to the new Bundesliga season: he had to come off early in each of Stuttgart’s first two league games, then dropped to the bench for the 2-1 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim at the weekend, only entering the pitch as a substitute.
The numbers in the league reflect that disrupted rhythm. Undav is still waiting for his first goal involvement of the Bundesliga campaign. The sharpness isn’t there yet over 90 minutes.
But once the competition changes, so does the picture.
In the DFB Cup win over Hansa Rostock and the Champions League victory against Viking Stavanger, Undav reminded everyone why he became such a central figure last season. He delivered two assists in each of those games, four in total, showing that his eye for a pass and penalty-box intelligence have not deserted him.
Klopp’s decision arrives against the backdrop of Undav’s outstanding 2023/24 season. No German striker scored more. He hit 25 goals in all competitions for Stuttgart and added 14 assists, a complete centre-forward’s return.
On the international stage, he was one of the few bright sparks in Germany’s World Cup disappointment in North America. Used as a super sub, he injected life into a largely flat side. When Germany crashed out in the round of 32 against Paraguay, Undav started but, like the rest of the team, failed to make an impact. Even so, his overall record in the national shirt remains striking: nine goals in 13 appearances.
For now, though, he will use the upcoming international break not to travel, but to rebuild. The plan is simple: get his body right, get the Achilles under control, and return as the penalty-box menace Klopp wants at full throttle, not half-fit.
Undav is not the only Stuttgart name missing from the new era’s first roll call. Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling, both 25 and both part of the World Cup squad, have also been left out this time.
Stuttgart are still represented. Finn Jeltsch (20), Maximilian Mittelstädt (29), Josha Vagnoman (25) and Chris Führich (28) all make Klopp’s inaugural selection, a nod to the club’s rise and the core of German talent driving it.
For Undav, the message is blunt but encouraging: fix the body, and the national team will still be there. The question now is how quickly Stuttgart’s No. 9 can turn rehab into goals – and force Klopp’s hand for the next squad.
