Marc-André ter Stegen's Path to Germany No 1: Recovery and Future Plans
Marc-André ter Stegen’s path back to the Germany No 1 shirt is being managed with extreme care – and a touch of calculation.
Ajax Amsterdam coach Míchel confirmed that his goalkeeper is still nursing a serious problem and deliberately left him out of Tuesday night’s league game against Willem II Tilburg. Not a tactical surprise. A medical one.
“Marc is recovering from a serious injury,” Míchel said, explaining why understudy Maarten Paes started instead. With an international break looming, Ajax see an opening: protect their veteran keeper now, cash in later.
The idea is simple. Ter Stegen rests during the midweek fixture so he can “properly recover for the game on Saturday as well as the subsequent international break,” as Míchel put it. Paes gets minutes, ter Stegen gets breathing space.
And yet, this is not a full shutdown. Míchel fully expects Germany to call.
“Should ter Stegen travel to the national team – which is likely – we will then have time to continue working on his recovery,” he added. Club and country will have to share the rehab process, not fight over it.
Klopp’s new No 1?
In Germany, the conversation around the goal has shifted. Manuel Neuer is no longer part of the equation. The long-time captain has definitively retired from the national team, and the “eternal crown prince” is being prepared to finally take the throne.
According to media reports, Jürgen Klopp is planning with ter Stegen, now 34, as his future first-choice goalkeeper. That status is not new. He already held it under Klopp’s predecessor Julian Nagelsmann after Neuer initially stepped away following Euro 2024, only for a series of injuries to derail his momentum.
Ter Stegen’s last appearance for Germany came on 8 June 2025 in the Nations League, a 2-0 defeat to France in Stuttgart. Since then, more time on treatment tables than on the pitch.
Now comes a twist: his potential comeback for Germany would feel like a home game.
For Klopp’s debut, Germany travel to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands in the Nations League on 24 September. Ter Stegen, playing his club football in the city, could walk into that match with every detail of the surroundings already imprinted in his mind.
The schedule is relentless. After the Netherlands, Germany face Greece on 27 September, Serbia on 1 October, then Greece again on 4 October. Four games in 11 days. A dream stage for a fit goalkeeper. A risk for one just coming back.
Klopp will name his squad on Thursday at 10am. Expect numbers.
New hierarchy in goal
Germany’s goalkeeping pool is being reshaped in real time. With Neuer out of the picture and previous No 2 Oliver Baumann not expected to feature, the battle lines behind ter Stegen are being redrawn.
Alexander Nübel, now at Besiktas, and Jonas Urbig of Bayern Munich are viewed as his main challengers. Both are younger, both seen as long-term options, both likely to be in what is expected to be a large squad.
Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen is also tipped to be included. Another sign that Klopp wants depth, competition, and a clear post-Neuer structure.
For ter Stegen, the message is double-edged. He is the planned No 1. But the next generation is already lining up behind him.
First, though, he has to prove he is healthy enough. That starts with Ajax’s careful rotation this week and could accelerate dramatically once Germany land in Amsterdam.
