Germany's teenage star Lennart Karl ruled out of World Cup with muscle tear, Ouédraogo called up

Germany's World Cup plans have been dealt a severe blow just over a week before their opening match. Lennart Karl, the 18-year-old attacking midfielder whose meteoric rise at Bayern Munich made him a surprise inclusion in Julian Nagelsmann's squad, sustained a muscle bundle tear in his left, front thigh during the team's final training session in Chicago on Friday. The injury rules him out of the entire tournament.

The injury and diagnosis

Karl went down during the session ahead of Germany's last warm-up match against the United States on Saturday. Nagelsmann, speaking at a press conference shortly after the incident, was visibly shaken and already feared the worst. "Lenny was injured today. We have to see what it is. It does not look good," he told reporters. The player was taken to a Chicago hospital for scans, which confirmed a muscle bundle tear, the German Football Association (DFB) announced later that evening.

It looked honestly not so good.

Nagelsmann's reaction

Nagelsmann did not hide his disappointment, describing the loss as a shock for the entire squad. He praised Karl's fearlessness, creativity, speed, and character, noting how well the youngster had integrated into the team. The coach offered a small consolation that Karl's age means many more tournaments lie ahead, but stressed the immediate pain of losing a player he had counted on.

I am incredibly sorry for Lenny. With his fearlessness, his playful wit, his pace and as a character, he fitted superbly into the team. It is a huge shock for him and for all of us that he is missing the World Cup. It is only a small comfort that he is young and has many tournaments ahead of him. We would have loved to have him in the team.

Ouédraogo called up as replacement

The DFB moved quickly to fill the gap. Assan Ouédraogo, the 20-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder, was nominated to replace Karl in the 26-man squad. Ouédraogo made his senior international debut in November during a 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Slovakia, scoring a goal. He will travel to Germany's base camp in Winston-Salem in the coming days. Nations are permitted to replace injured players up to 24 hours before their first group-stage match.

A recurring nightmare

Karl's misfortune echoes a painful pattern for Germany. Serge Gnabry, another Bayern Munich professional, had already withdrawn from the World Cup due to a muscle tendon injury. The situation also revives memories of Marco Reus, who suffered an ankle injury in the final test before the 2014 tournament in Brazil and missed Germany's title triumph. Karl's setback comes one day before the team's dress rehearsal against the co-hosts, but already on American soil.

Karl's rapid ascent

Karl only made his Bundesliga debut this season, quickly establishing himself as a regular for a Bayern side that won the domestic double and reached the Champions League semi-finals. He earned his first senior cap for Germany on 27 March in a 4-3 win over Switzerland, made a substitute appearance against Ghana three days later, and earned his first start in a 4-0 victory over Finland. His three international appearances had already marked him as a potential X-factor for a German team seeking redemption after group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022.

What lies ahead

Germany face the United States in their final friendly on Saturday evening in Chicago. Their World Cup campaign in Group E begins on 14 June against Curacao, followed by matches against Ivory Coast and Ecuador. The four-time champions, without a major title since their 2014 World Cup win in Brazil, now must recalibrate without one of their most exciting attacking talents.