Jurgen Klopp Calls Up 44 Players Across Two Germany Squads In Sweeping UEFA Nations League Audition, World Cup Top Scorer Omitted

Jürgen Klopp called up 44 players in two separate Germany squads Thursday ahead of four Nations League games but dropped the team's top scorer from the World Cup . Klopp's double roster turns the upcoming games against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia into an extended audition for places ahead of the next major tournament, the 2028 European Championship .

Stars like Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz will likely be limited to a maximum of two of the games as Klopp looks to fit in more new faces and reduce the workload on players.

It continues his unorthodox start to life in international soccer after he began by threatening to resign if he felt criticism was too overwhelming or the media was too intrusive.

Many of the players called up Thursday have never played for Germany's senior team. Some, like Elversberg midfielder Felix Keidel and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib, have only played a handful of top-division club games.

The only squad limit in the league phase is that teams must submit a list of 23 before midnight ahead of each game, but they can switch out players between games.

There is no place for Deniz Undav, who led Germany with three goals and two assists at the World Cup before a round-of-32 loss on penalties to Paraguay spelled the end of coach Julian Nagelsmann's tenure. Galatasaray winger Leroy Sané also misses out and won't add to his 80 caps for Germany.

Germany starts against the Netherlands on Sept. 24, before playing Greece three days later, Serbia on Oct. 1 and Greece again October 4.

Germany Squad: September Fixtures (vs Netherlands & Greece)

Goalkeepers: Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), Alexander Nübel (Beşiktaş), Marc-André ter Stegen (Ajax)

Defenders: Hennes Behrens (Augsburg), Yann Aurel Bisseck (Inter Milan), Nathaniel Brown (Bayern Munich), Max Rosenfelder (Freiburg), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Philipp Treu (Freiburg), Josha Vagnoman (VfB Stuttgart)

Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Bambasé Conté (Hoffenheim), Yannik Engelhardt (Freiburg), Chris Führich (VfB Stuttgart), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Schade (Brentford), Anton Stach (Leeds United)

Forwards: Younes Ebnoutalib (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kai Havertz (Arsenal)

Germany Squad: October Fixtures (vs Serbia & Greece)

Goalkeepers: Noah Atubolu (Eintracht Frankfurt), Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), Jonas Urbig (Bayern Munich)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Ridle Baku (RB Leipzig), Finn Jeltsch (VfB Stuttgart), Maximilian Mittelstädt (VfB Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United)

Midfielders: Karim Adeyemi (Barcelona), Mika Baur (Celtic), Tom Bischof (Bayern Munich), Saïd El Mala (FC Köln), Brajan Gruda (RB Leipzig), Vitaly Janelt (Brentford), Felix Keidel (SV Elversberg), Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern Munich), Derry Scherhant (Freiburg), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)

Forwards: Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt), Nick Woltemade (Juventus)