Wagner quits German duty after WC snub

BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s out-spoken striker Sandro Wagner has reacted to his surprise omission from Germany’s provisional World Cup squad by retiring from international duty.“I hereby resign immediately from the national team,” Wagner told German daily Bild.“For me, it is clear that I do not seem to fit with the coaching team in the way I am always open, honest and address things directly.”

The 30-year-old took a thinly-veiled swipe at head coach Joachim Loew for leaving him out of the 27-man squad, announced on Tuesday, for next month’s World Cup as strikers Timo Werner, Mario Gomez and Nils Petersen were selected instead. Wagner, who made his debut in 2017, helped an inexperienced squad win the Confederations Cup in Russia last July and has scored five goals in just eight internationals. Wagner’s omission was a surprise given his impressive form this year for Bayern, the club he joined in January as Robert Lewandowski’s back-up, scoring an impressive nine goals in 17 games, mainly off the bench.