Olivier Kahn slams Jürgen Klopp over Marc ter Stegen Nations League minutes

Oliver Kahn, the former German international, expressed bewilderment at Jürgen Klopp’s recent selection choices for the national side, saying the coach should have given more Nations League minutes to Ajax’s Marc ter Stegen. The 86‑cap former goalkeeper told and RTL that the team is not a platform for distributing playing time.

Selection controversy

Kahn noted that the 34‑year‑old Ajax keeper featured only once in the latest international window, keeping a clean sheet in Amsterdam against the Netherlands (1‑1). He missed the remaining three Nations League fixtures, while Alexander Nübel guarded the goal in a 0‑1 loss to Greece.

Klopp opted for Jonas Urbig in the matches against Serbia (2‑0) and the return leg with Greece (0‑0), explaining that the Bayern backup receives limited action behind Manuel Neuer. Kahn dismissed that rationale, arguing the national team’s purpose is not to allocate minutes.

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“If anyone needed games, I would have gladly given them to the player who, is currently the number one: Marc ter Stegen,” Kahn said. He added that the decision felt illogical from his perspective.

Klopp had previously identified ter Stegen as Germany’s provisional first‑choice goalkeeper, citing his fitness and experience. However, the Barcelona‑owned keeper has long been in Neuer’s shadow and missed last summer’s World Cup through injury.

At Ajax, ter Stegen now enjoys regular weekly matches, restoring his rhythm. Germany’s next international window begins in November, concluding on 16 November with a home game against the Netherlands.