Klopp checks Tresoldi, Pejcinovic and Brunner for U‑national player

While Jürgen Klopp in the new DFB‑team of the future looks for the next goal‑scorers, Nicolo Tresoldi, Dzenan Pejcinovic and Paris Brunner are at the centre of an intense tug‑of‑war over their international future. The 22‑year‑old Tresoldi, who led his first match as captain of the German U21 on Wednesday evening, immediately showed why he is being talked about.

A triple‑goal scorer dazzles in the Euro qualifying match

In his 26th appearance for the German U21, Tresoldi netted a hat‑trick (numbers 14, 15 and 16) against Malta, overtaking Mike Hanke, Lewis Holtby and Benjamin Auer on the all‑time leaderboard. With the 4‑1 victory the team secured direct Euro qualification and kept the campaign firmly in its own hands.

‘Not a bad debut, right?’, Tresoldi joked after the match, while speaking of his aim to score two more goals – ideally already on the coming Tuesday.

Decisions between two national teams

Although Tresoldi currently plays for the German U21, his nationality remains contested: born in Cagliari, he can choose between Germany or Italy. He himself describes his heart as “50:50” and wants to decide only after the Euro final tournament in June‑July 2027 whether he will move to Jürgen Klopp or to Roberto Mancini.

Tresoldi chases U21 scoring record as fans turn hostile

A similar dilemma is shared by Ryan Naderi, who has chosen the Czech Republic, and Dzenan Pejcinovic, who despite his Croatian roots leans towards the DFB. Pejcinovic, now at VfB Stuttgart, is also in the new national team coach’s sights.

More talents in the national team coach’s view

Paris Brunner, who plays for Monaco and recently scored a double‑strike against Latvia, also belongs to the players that Klopp “could take half of the U21”. The former Wolfsburg player Pejcinovic and the Scottish Ryan Naderi were also mentioned as possible candidates for the A‑national team.

U21 coach Antonio Di Salvo emphasised that he wants to give Tresoldi more responsibility in order to keep him motivated for Germany. Klopp assured Tresoldi that the door will always remain open, and the conversation was more paternal than purely coaching.