Loew calls up Hunt and Mueller for friendlies

AFP - 6 November 2009 15:20

Germany´s head coach Joachim Loew during his squad´s 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Russia in Moscow. Loew has named promising Werder Bremen midfielder Aaron Hunt and Bayern Munich´s rising star Thomas Mueller to the Germany squad for friendlies against Chile and the Ivory Coast.

BERLIN (AFP) - Coach Joachim Loew has named promising Werder Bremen midfielder Aaron Hunt and Bayern Munich's rising star Thomas Mueller in the Germany squad for friendlies against Chile and the Ivory Coast.

Loew's squad will play Chile in Cologne on Saturday November 14 and the Ivory Coast in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday November 18.

Having already secured their World Cup berth for South Africa 2010 with a 1-0 win over Russia in Moscow last month, Loew is keeping one eye on the future by calling up 20-year-old Bayern midfielder Mueller.

And 23-year-old Hunt, who can play for Germany or England because of his English mother, has caught the eye with a series of strong performances for Bremen including two goals in a 2-2 draw at Nuremberg last weekend.

Both Mueller and Hunt are capable of playing as strikers and offer Loew plenty of flexibility as he looks at options for his World Cup squad.

Mueller is involved in Germany Under-21s European Championships qualifier against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Friday November 13, but will join the senior squad immediately after.

"Thomas will be with us for three or four days, simply to get to know the atmosphere around the national team," said Loew.

But while Mueller is unlikely to get much game time for the national team, Loew said he has been impressed with Hunt and expects to give him a start.

"We now have the possibility of giving him a chance," said Loew.

"Aaron has taken a step up this season and been very consistent with his performances."

There is also a place for Leverkusen's Steffan Kiessling who last played for Germany in the 1-0 defeat to Norway last February, but has helped his side to the top of the Bundesliga with seven goals in 11 games.

Both Leverkusen midfielder Simon Rolfes and Stuttgart striker Cacau are missing with injuries, but there is a place for 21-year-old Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng despite being sent off in Moscow on his full debut last month.

There is no place in Loew's squad for Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke, who has lost his number one place to Leverkusen's Rene Adler, while Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese and Schalke's Manuel Neuer have been called up.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defenders: Andreas Beck (1899 Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Marcel Schaefer (VfL Wolfsburg), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

Midfield: Michael Ballack (Chelsea/ENG), Christian Gentner (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Aaron Hunt (Werder Bremen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg)

Forwards: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)