Schlotterbeck out for months as Germany lose defender for the World Cup

Schlotterbeck's World Cup is over

Nico Schlotterbeck is done. The Germany defender tore an ankle ligament in Saturday's 2–1 win over Ivory Coast and will miss several months, the DFB confirmed (1) (3). An MRI sealed the diagnosis.

He will stay with the squad for now, but his tournament is finished.

"We will miss Schlotti very much on the pitch as an outstanding defender, especially his excellent build-up play," Julian Nagelsmann said. "It could have been his World Cup" (1) (3).

Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rudiger, Waldemar Anton, and Malick Thiaw are the remaining centre-back options (1). Germany have already won the group, so the Ecuador match is a free hit to test pairings.

Fan reactions

Germany supporters on Reddit are gutted. The mood is a mix of frustration at the timing and concern about what the backline looks like without Schlotterbeck's distribution. Some fans are already debating whether Nagelsmann should shift to a back three with the remaining options. Read the full thread.