Germany U21 updates | Nicolo Tresoldi among three players to withdraw from November 2026 internationals

Germany U21 updates | Nicolo Tresoldi among three players to withdraw from November 2026 internationals Germany U21 head coach Antonio Di Salvo has confirmed three further injury-related withdrawals ahead of Friday’s international against Belgium in Essen. Nicolo Tresoldi, Hendry Blank, and Mio Backhaus will all miss the upcoming fixtures against Belgium and Croatia. Speaking at Thursday’s pre-match press conference in Düsseldorf, attended in person by Get German Football News , Di Salvo revealed that Backhaus arrived at the national-team camp carrying a hand injury. The SC Freiburg goalkeeper was unable to participate in training and has already begun his journey home. The German U21 coach also confirmed that Club Brugge striker Tresoldi and Greuther Fürth defender Blank suffered concussions following a collision during Wednesday’s training session. The two players clashed heads while contesting an aerial ball following a set-piece situation. Both subsequently complained of headaches and underwent medical examinations. Blank spent Wednesday night in hospital as a precaution, as confirmed by Greuther Fürth. Di Salvo stressed that the DFB would follow the necessary concussion protocols and would not take any risks regarding the players’ recovery. The coach confirmed that Blank had already departed the national-team camp, with Tresoldi expected to follow on Friday. Neither player will be available for Germany’s two remaining internationals of 2026. Tresoldi’s absence, particularly in light of his exceptional performances for country during the previous international break , constitutes quite the disappointment for Germany enthusiasts. Two additional replacements called up to replace Tresoldi and Backhaus The withdrawals represent another setback for Di Salvo, who had already been forced into several changes to his original November squad . Blank himself had only recently been called up to replace Karim Coulibaly, whose withdrawal followed illness concerns. Lukas Ullrich, Mika Baur, and Arijon Ibrahimovic were also forced to withdraw through injury. Di Salvo has responded to the latest setbacks by calling up goalkeeper Hannes Hermann and TSG Hoffenheim striker Max Moerstedt. Hermann, currently on loan at Jahn Regensburg from Hamburger SV, had already arrived at the national-team camp by Thursday afternoon. Moerstedt was still travelling to Düsseldorf and was not expected to participate in the day’s final training session. Dennis Seimen now set to start both internationals Backhaus’ withdrawal has also forced Di Salvo to reconsider his goalkeeping plans. The German U21 coach had originally intended to rotate between Backhaus and VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper Dennis Seimen , giving both players an opportunity to impress in the competition for Germany’s No. 1 position. With Backhaus now unavailable, Di Salvo indicated at Thursday’s press conference that the plan had changed. “The plan is for Dennis to play both games,” Di Salvo explained when questioned about the goalkeeping situation. The decision means that first-time U21 call-up Tom Ritzy Hülsmann, who recently made headlines following his introduction to the national-team squad , appears unlikely to make his international debut during the November window unless circumstances change. The Stade Reims goalkeeper remains part of the squad alongside Seimen and newly called-up Hermann. Germany face Belgium at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße in Essen on Friday, November 13, at 18:00 before travelling to Rijeka to face Croatia four days later. Both opponents have qualified for next summer’s European U21 Championship in Albania and Serbia, with Di Salvo hoping to use the fixtures to evaluate his team’s progress against strong international opposition despite the considerable disruption to his squad. GGFN  |  Peter Weis