The German Football Federation have confirmed that five Germany players have been forced to self-isolate after one of them has tested positive for coronavirus.
Hansi Flick's 27-man squad arrived in Wolfsburg on Monday to prepare for their penultimate World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein on Thursday.
According to Bild, Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule is believed to be the player who has tested positive for COVID-19, with Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Red Bull Salzburg's Karim Adeyemi – who all tested negative but were in close contact with the player who returned a positive result – the other four players who have been ordered to self-isolate.
ℹ️ The health authorities have ordered five Germany players to quarantine after one of them came back positive for Covid-19 following last night's tests.#DieMannschaft pic.twitter.com/EW4T1bCGKg
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 9, 2021
Oliver Bierhoff, director of the German national teams and academy, has since released a statement not confirming the identity of who will need to self-isolate, but he has revealed that all other players and staff in the national team setup have tested negative and will prepare for the upcoming games as normal.
"The number of [coronavirus] cases has risen sharply across the country. Therefore, we will continue to implement the hygiene and behavioural measures in place for the final international game of the year, in order for us to handle the current situation as responsibly as possible," Bierhoff said on the national team's official website.
"This news coming so soon before the final two World Cup qualifiers is very tough, both for the coaching staff and the whole team, but health and welfare is our top priority, of course. I hope the player who tested positive recovers soon and that he remains asymptomatic."
Germany could now be without up to eight players for Thursday's fixture, after Florian Wirtz and Nico Schlotterbeck pulled out of the squad with muscle injuries, while Kai Havertz will serve a one-match suspension following an accumulation of yellow cards.
Wolfsburg duo Ridle Baku and Maximilian Arnold as well as Monaco's Kevin Volland have all been called up to the senior squad as a result.
Oliver Thomas
