Mesut Ozil Not Expected to Miss Start of World Cup Despite Back Injury
Arsenal and Germany star Mesut Ozil is not expected to miss the start of the World Cup despite an ongoing battle with a back injury.
The playmaker, who is currently training with the national team in South Tyrol, is said to be nursing a back injury that saw him sit out the final few games of the domestic season for the Gunners, as reported by the Evening Standard.
Despite the concern over the German's back injury, which was picked up several months ago, Germany assistant manager Thomas Schneider is confident that Ozil will be ready come the start of the tournament.
He said: “He’s always receiving treatment, but is completely resilient. We expect him to push himself in the coming days and weeks leading up to the start of the tournament, and we’re confident he will manage.”
Ozil featured in every game for the Germans in their successful 2014 triumph and would be a big miss if he was to be ruled out of even one game.
With that being said, however, this time around the Germans do have players like Marco Reus and Julian Brandt who are more than capable of filling in for Ozil.
The reigning world champions begin their defense against Mexico on June 17, and with the likes of Reus back in the squad for the competition, many have tipped Germany to retain their crown in Russia.
