Bayern's Pavlović named to Germany's Euro 2024 squad
Midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović from FC Bayern Munich has been rewarded for his outstanding debut season with the Bavarian team by being named to the European Championship squad.
The nomination, by national coach Julian Nagelsmann, was announced by the German broadcaster RTL on its Monday's evening programme.
Pavlović is the third player after Borussia Dormund's defender Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen to be named to the German squad for the upcoming tournament, which will be played on home turf.
Further selections are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the official presentation of the squad planned on Thursday.
Pavlović started this season at FC Bayern as a defensive midfielder, appearing in 18 Bundesliga matches, scoring two goals. He also played three games in the Champions League, which Bayern eventually lost to Real Madrid.
The Munich native has not yet played for the senior German national team. Nagelsmann called him up for the first time in March. However, an infection prevented him from making his debut in the games against France (2-0) and the Netherlands (2-1).
The confirmation of Pavlović's nomination further reduces the chances of his FC Bayern club colleague Leon Goretzka making it to the Euros after Nagelsmann surprisingly dropped the 29-year-old in March.
Real's Toni Kroos and Leverkusen's Robert Andrich are currently considered to be the team's starting players in defensive midfield.
In addition to Pavlović, Pascal Groß from the English club Brighton & Hove Albion is considered to have the best chance of being a backup in the squad for this role.
Nagelsmann will gather his squad in late May for pre-Euros training and tune-up games against Ukraine on June 3 and Greece on June 7.
Real's Kroos as well as the Dortmund contingent of Schlotterbeck and most likely Niclas Füllkrug will miss the first week of training and probably the Ukraine game because their clubs contenst the Champions League final on June 1.
Nagelsmann must submit his final squad list on June 7, a week before Germany open the Euros against Scotland. Hungary and Switzerland are the other group stage opponents.
