Didi Hamann praises Loris Karius at FC Schalke 04, Digi Mart USA News (Gelsenkirchen): Loris Karius was already a standout player for FC Schalke 04 during their second-division days. After the club’s promotion, the 33-year-old raised his level further, making several spectacular saves and playing nearly error-free so far this season.
Didi Hamann cannot understand why the Schalke goalkeeper was once again not called up to the German national team. Federal coach Jürgen Klopp announced his DFB squad on Thursday, November 5, for the upcoming Nations League matches against Serbia and the Netherlands, and again no Schalke player made the lineup.
Speaking on Sky’s “Hagedorn-Fußballtalk,” Hamann made clear that he disagrees with the decision. He argued that Karius deserves a nomination and said that, in his view, he is the best goalkeeper in Germany when compared with the country’s leading striker, Niclas Füllkrug.
Hamann also pointed to the goalkeeper’s development since the Champions League final loss with Liverpool, a period in which Karius faced heavy criticism. “I see a goalkeeper who went through the mill at Liverpool after the lost Champions League final, who has grown and matured,” the Sky analyst said.
In Hamann’s assessment, Karius should not only be nominated but should be the number one for the national team. “There’s a man in goal where I have the feeling that nothing can go wrong,” he said.
For now, Marc-André ter Stegen of Ajax Amsterdam is set as the national team’s first-choice goalkeeper. Alexander Nübel of Beşiktaş, a former Schalke player, and Jonas Urbig of FC Bayern have been named as his backups for the upcoming internationals.
Whether Karius will get another chance to prove himself with the DFB remains to be seen.
