Khaberni - German Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the goalkeeper for Barcelona, has slim hopes of securing playing minutes with Barcelona following his return from injury, according to what his compatriot and coach Hansi Flick clarified.
Ter Stegen has been absent from Barcelona for four months, due to undergoing back surgery, while the team has relied on the newcomer Juan Garcia as the first-choice goalkeeper.
"Los Blancos" enlisted Polish Wojciech Szczęsny when Garcia was out due to injury earlier this season.
Flick told reporters before today's Saturday match against Osasuna: "Juan is our number one goalkeeper, there is no more."
The German coach added that he will not specify a second or a third goalkeeper, but only appoints the first goalkeeper, while Flick strongly believes that he will not change Juan who is doing an extremely great job.
Flick said he discussed this matter with his compatriot Ter Stegen, saying: "This is my job, but what happened stays between us."
Reports indicated that Barcelona, the champion and leader of the Spanish league, wants to sell Ter Stegen (33 years old) in order to save on his high salary.
Ter Stegen needs to secure playing minutes if he wants to be the first choice for the Germany national team goalkeeper in the 2026 World Cup, as confirmed by coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Oliver Baumann, goalkeeper for Hoffenheim, was the primary goalkeeper for Germany in the World Cup qualifiers, which Ter Stegen missed due to the surgery he underwent this summer.
