Julian Nagelsmann doubles down on Malick Thiaw verdict after immediate Newcastle United impact

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw is back in the Germany set-up amid praise from boss Julian Nagelsmann.

The international break is now upon us, and it has come at a pretty good time for Newcastle United.

The Magpies lost 3-1 at Brentford on Sunday, and Eddie Howe simply has not found a solution to his side’s away-day woes.

Newcastle players now head off with their countries, leaving Howe to come up with some answers in the meantime.

Julian Nagelsmann doubles down on Newcastle United’s Malick Thiaw

Defender Malick Thiaw has been recalled by Germany after two years out of the squad.

Thiaw has made a brilliant start to life at Newcastle, and he will have a chance to push towards a World Cup place.

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has hailed Thiaw’s progress at Newcastle and has doubled down on that praise.

Speaking on the official DFB website, Nagelsmann suggested that Thiaw is ‘doing very well’ in the heart of Newcastle’s back line.

Nagelsmann added that Thiaw was mostly overlooked due to his lack of playing time at AC Milan, but he now ‘deserves’ his place in the Germany squad once more.

“Malick has stabilised and is doing very well as a regular starter at Newcastle,” said Nagelsmann.

“He was absent from our squad for a long time, partly because he hadn’t played much in Milan for six months prior. He deserves to be back,” he added.

A big chance has opened up for Malick Thiaw

Thiaw’s last Germany cap came in 2023, so he would have been forgiven for believing that his World Cup hopes were over.

The move to Newcastle has given Thiaw’s international career a new lease of life, and a chance could arrive this week.

Nagelsmann told the official DFB website that Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has picked up an injury and could miss games against Luxembourg and Slovakia.

Schlotterbeck’s potential absence means Thiaw could feature in the heart of Germany’s back line, possibly alongside Bayern Munich’s Jonathan Tah.

The coming days represent a huge opportunity for Thiaw, who has the least international experience of Germany’s current centre-back options, as seen above.

Thiaw was one of few Newcastle players to earn praise after the defeat at Brentford, and he will now look to take his Premier League form into the international scene.