Lothar Matthäus said at an event held by his sponsor Interwetten that Jürgen Klopp should seriously consider bringing Niclas Füllkrug back into the Germany squad. Germany next face Serbia on 13 November and the Netherlands on 16 November in the Nations League during the mid-November international break.
Matthäus calls for a recall
The national team's record appearance-maker said: "Of course we're missing that centre-forward. We always talk about young players. But the only one making a case with goals is Niclas Füllkrug."
He also said: "he finds the net, he scores goals, more than anyone else."
Matthäus does not see Kai Havertz as a proper centre-forward. He also said Tim Kleindienst was injured again at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
On Nick Woltemade, Matthäus said he "is searching for his form. Jürgen Klopp should see that too."
Füllkrug's numbers and his response
GOAL reported that Füllkrug last made the Germany squad at the beginning of September 2025. GOAL also reported that he has scored seven goals in seven competitive appearances.
GOAL reported that Füllkrug most recently earned Werder two points with a brace against SC Paderborn and a last-minute goal in Dortmund.
Füllkrug said: "I'd think it was cool - I think I'm always very respectful towards the media - if the media started respecting me too. And if I've now said 44 times that I don't want to talk about it, it would be cool if we stopped talking about it."
Thioune and Völler comments
His coach Daniel Thioune said Füllkrug currently leads the Bundesliga scoring chart alongside Patrik Schick. Thioune said: "if someone leads the scoring chart, then he can't have done too much wrong"
On the question of a recall, Thioune said: "If he needs goals, then he should call him."
DFB sporting director Rudi Völler has also indicated that he was open to a Füllkrug comeback. Völler said: "He can head the ball, that's a fact. If he scores goals like those - yes, why not?"
Völler also warned that one must "not forget: we're talking about the European Championship in two years, when he'll be even older."