June 6 (Reuters) – Midfielder Assan Ouedraogo was on holiday in Marbella when he received the call to join the Germany World Cup squad following Lennart Karl’s injury, and the 20-year-old said on Saturday that it was a childhood dream come true.
Karl sustained a muscle tear in training ahead of Saturday’s friendly game against the United States in Chicago, and manager Julian Nagelsmann turned to the RB Leipzig player.
“I got the call from the national coach on Friday evening while on holiday,” Ouedraogo said in an interview on his club website.
“When Julian Nagelsmann told me I was now part of the squad, I needed a moment to take it in and realise what had happened before going and packing my things straight away.”
Ouedraogo has made one appearance for Germany when he was also drafted into the squad to replace an injured player, Nadiem Amiri, and came off the bench to score the last goal in a 6-0 win over Slovakia in November in their final qualifier.
“It’s a huge honour and makes me very proud to represent Germany at the World Cup,” Ouedraogo said.
“A childhood dream of mine has come true, one I have worked hard for, especially over the past few months and years.
“At the same time, I would like to wish Lenny a speedy and full recovery. I feel very sorry for him that he got injured so close to the tournament and can’t be involved.”
Germany, whose last World Cup trophy came in 2014, begin their Group E campaign against Curacao on June 14 in Houston before facing the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)
