Three late call‑ups force Germany U21 reshuffle for November

Germany U21 head coach Antonio Di Salvo has been forced to make three changes to his original squad for November’s internationals against Belgium and Croatia after the injury‑related withdrawals of Lukas Ullrich, Mika Baur and Arijon Ibrahimovic. Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Lukas Ullrich suffered a broken collarbone during Saturday’s defeat to Hamburger SV. Celtic midfielder Mika Baur has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

The nature of Arijon Ibrahimovic’s injury has not been disclosed. The German Football Association confirmed that Union Berlin defender Tom Rothe, Hamburger SV midfielder Kofi Amoako and SV Elversberg’s Maurice Krattenmacher have been called up as replacements. Amoako and Krattenmacher are in line for their U21 debuts, while Rothe returns to the national‑team setup.

Racing Strasbourg defender Karim Coulibaly remains doubtful after experiencing illness symptoms. Di Salvo indicated on Monday that a decision on Coulibaly’s participation would be made following further assessment. Germany will face Belgium in Essen on Friday, 13 November, before travelling to Rijeka to meet Croatia four days later. Both fixtures form part of Germany’s preparations for next summer’s U21 European Championship in Albania and Serbia.