Lennart Karl ruled out of World Cup after training injury

Germany defender Lennart Karl (18) suffered a serious muscle injury during Friday's official training session, ruling him out of the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Karl and several teammates stayed behind after the main session to work on finishing ahead of Saturday's final warm-up against co-hosts the USA.

He remained on the pitch with a small group of DFB players; as he struck his final shot he felt a sharp twinge in his adductors and knew straight away that something was wrong. Vice-captain Antonio Rüdiger (33) helped him off the pitch and into the dressing room.

National team manager Julian Nagelsmann (38) said at his press conference: "Unfortunately, Lenny got injured in training today. We'll have to wait and see what the outcome is. To be honest, it didn't look too good." An MRI scan later confirmed a torn muscle fibre that rules him out of the World Cup.

Germany

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