Nasty knock not the reason? Jürgen Klopp has to substitute DFB top star early on in his debut as Germany coach

After Jamal Musiala had already had to pull out shortly before kick-off, Germany coach Jürgen Klopp was also forced early in the Nations League match against the Netherlands to substitute another high-profile player.

Just under half an hour into the duel with Oranje on Thursday evening, striker Kai Havertz sank to the turf. After brief treatment, the medical staff of the DFB team signalled for a substitution, and international debutant Younes Ebnoutalib (Eintracht Frankfurt) came on for Havertz in the 30th minute.

Right before the Arsenal forward went down, he had clutched the back of his thigh. That pointed to muscular problems as the reason Havertz had to leave the pitch early.

Earlier, the 27-year-old had also taken a blow to the knee. Dutchman Quinten Timber (Crystal Palace) caught Havertz with a nasty kick above the knee. Whether that also had anything to do with the substitution remained unclear, and, of course, a precise diagnosis of the injury is still pending.

Why could Jamal Musiala not play for the DFB team?

Musiala, another big-name player whom Klopp had wanted to start in his debut on the bench of the Germany national team, could not play at all. The Bayern Munich playmaker is said to have suffered muscular problems during the warm-up, which meant Klopp had to take him out of his starting line-up at short notice after all. Mainz's Nadiem Amiri unexpectedly moved into the German midfield instead.

Following an injury-plagued previous season, Havertz has made a good start to the new campaign. At English champions Arsenal, he is an undisputed starter, and he had already scored three goals in the first seven competitive matches of 2026/27. In Amsterdam on Thursday evening, he made his 63rd international appearance, while at the disastrous 2026 World Cup Havertz made four appearances (three goals).