Marc-André ter Stegen's Injury Management Ahead of Germany Return
Míchel has drawn a firm line: no risks with Marc-André ter Stegen.
The Ajax Amsterdam coach confirmed that his goalkeeper is still carrying a serious injury and left him out of Tuesday night’s league match against Willem II Tilburg, opting instead for understudy Maarten Paes.
“Marc is recovering from a serious injury,” Míchel said, explaining the decision. With an international break looming, the timing felt perfect to him. The plan is clear: give Paes the minutes now so ter Stegen can “properly recover for the game on Saturday as well as the subsequent international break”.
The club and country calendars are colliding at a crucial moment.
Míchel fully expects the 34-year-old to be called up by Germany. “Should ter Stegen travel to the national team – which is likely – we will then have time to continue working on his recovery,” he added. Ajax are effectively using this window to manage his workload while keeping him in the frame for Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany squad.
In Germany, the Stakes are Higher
Klopp is planning with ter Stegen as his future No 1. The Barcelona legend has long been tagged the “eternal” crown prince to Manuel Neuer, and that status briefly became reality under Julian Nagelsmann after Neuer’s post-Euro 2024 retirement. Then came the injuries, one after another, and his momentum stalled again.
His last outing for Germany dates back to 8 June 2025, a 0-2 Nations League defeat to France in Stuttgart. A flat night, a team in transition, and a keeper whose body refused to cooperate in the months that followed.
Now the comeback Germany have been waiting for could arrive in a setting that suits him perfectly.
For Klopp’s debut, Germany head to Amsterdam on 24 September in the Nations League to face the Netherlands – effectively a home game for ter Stegen, who is based in the city with Ajax. The schedule for that international window is relentless: Greece on 27 September, Serbia on 1 October, and Greece again on 4 October.
Klopp will name his squad on Thursday at 10am, and all signs point to a big group. The goalkeeper hierarchy is being reshaped in real time.
- Alexander Nübel (Besiktas) and Jonas Urbig (Bayern Munich) are viewed as the main challengers to ter Stegen’s throne.
- Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen is also expected to be involved.
- Neuer, by contrast, has now definitively stepped away from the national team, while former No 2 Oliver Baumann is not in the frame.
So Ajax rest him now. Germany wait.
If his body holds and Klopp hands him the gloves in Amsterdam, ter Stegen will finally step out of Neuer’s shadow with the No 1 shirt truly his to lose.
