Forward Niclas Füllkrug says he’s thankful for the opportunity to represent Germany at the upcoming UEFA Nations League Finals.
The West Ham United No11, who has an excellent goalscoring record for the German national team, with 14 goals and two assists in 22 games since making his debut aged 29 while at Werder Bremen, was named in Julian Nagelsmann’s 26-man squad for the first time since September last month.
Indeed, he scored on his last appearance for his country, a 5-0 win over Hungary in their Group A3 opener, only for an Achilles injury to force him off after an hour and subsequently keep him sidelined until December.
And after returning to full training having previously spent a period working alone, the 32-year-old suffered a further injury setback in January, when he sustained a hamstring injury in the FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa.
Admittedly, it was a frustrating and stop-start maiden Premier League campaign for Füllkrug, who has somewhat become a cult hero in east London, having put in some excellent displays and provided three goals and two assists in just 790 minutes of top-flight action.
Now fully fit, Füllkrug is relishing the opportunity of getting some much-needed minutes throughout the current international break, and says he already can't wait for next season.
“It was a tough season, a difficult season, but I'm very thankful for the trust from the coach (Julian Nagelsmann) and I will try to take responsibility and pay it back because I'm always happy to be there,” Füllkrug said.
“I think ‘difficult' is the right word to describe my season. It didn't go how I hoped, but I’m glad we had a little positive feeling to finish the season.
“I missed so many games, and I played so many games without 100 per cent fitness that season, so I'm happy about every game.
“I would also have been happy if the season continued and we didn't have a summer break, but it is how it is. It was difficult, but now I look forward in the future, and I see positive things in front of me.
“I was very unlucky with the injuries, and because of that, I missed almost every chance to play again for the national team. I was fit for maybe six weeks or something in between both my injuries, so I couldn't really reach my best form, but now I feel very good, I feel strong and I'm ready to play 90 minutes, and that makes me happy.
“I'm so happy to be with the national team, and I'm really looking forward to playing with the team because we have incredible players.
“It's a very nice team to be a part of, a very nice culture, very positive and I will get energy there.”
Having topped their Nations League group unbeaten, finishing ahead of the Netherlands, Hungary and Bosnia & Herzegovina, a quarter-final victory on penalties against Italy, who finished third in the last edition, secured Germany’s place in the semi-finals, where they will face Portugal at 8pm BST on Wednesday 4 June.
Should they make it there, Die Mannschaft will face either Spain or France in the showpiece in Munich on Sunday 8 June (8pm BST), while the third-place play-off will take place in Stuttgart (2pm BST) on the same day.
A visit to Allianz Arena - host of the Portugal match as well as the final - brings back good memories for Füllkrug, having scored there for Germany against Scotland in the opening match at UEFA Euro 2024, and he believes the four-time world champions have what it takes to lift the trophy on home soil.
“It's a very big game,” he added. “There are four really, really good teams in the final four, but we are very confident.
“We have a very good team, and I think we showed in the last year how good we can be, and we continue to build and build and try to improve, and I think we are on a very good level right now. I will try to get into the team and finish the attacks, be successful and win the trophy.
“We want to keep the standards high, we want to win every game, and we want to have a good feeling, a good winning road to start with the [FIFA] World Cup qualifiers [in September].
“I have some nice memories at the Allianz [Arena]. That was a lovely day [against Scotland]. It was a very special atmosphere in the whole country, not only in the stadium, then I managed to score in front of my friends and family. It was a very good day, and I enjoyed it a lot, and I hope I can do it again.
“He (Nagelsmann) knows my qualities. That’s why he chose me now despite a difficult season. He has a lot of trust in me, and I think he knows where my qualities are and knows exactly how to use them, and that's why my goal return is so good and that I've scored so many goals in the national team. I think the team uses me right, the coach uses me right, and I'm very confident that I'll continue to be a part of this team.”
