Germany have confirmed that Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic has pulled out of their Euro 2024 squad and has been replaced by Borussia Dortmund's Emre Can.
Pavlovic was only handed his senior international debut on June 3 during a goalless friendly draw with Ukraine and was named in Julian Nagelsmann's final 26-man squad following a breakthrough season at Bayern.
The 20-year-old made his first-team debut for the Bavarian giants in October last year and went on to make 22 first-team appearances across all competitions, chipping in with two goals and two assists.
However, since representing Germany for the first time just over a week ago, Pavlovic has come down with tonsillitis and has now been forced to pull out of the national team squad for this summer's tournament.
According to the NHS, those with tonsillitis usually suffer from symptoms such as a sickness, a sore throat, a headache, coughing, problems swallowing and a high temperature for around three to four days, but they can last longer.
The uncertainty over when Pavlovic could return to action has ultimately led to Nagelsmann's decision to call-up former Liverpool midfielder Can, who arrived at Germany's training base in Herzogenaurach on Wednesday.
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Nagelsmann explains Can call-up for Euro 2024
Explaining the decision to call up Can as Pavlovic's replacement, Germany boss Nagelsmann said: "We wanted another defensive midfielder in our squad and have therefore decided to call up Emre Can.
"He made it clear that he was excited and ready to join the squad right away. We wanted another player in the squad with experience and one that knows how to deal with pressure. He fits that profile nicely."
Can is a 47-cap Germany international, but he was dropped from the squad in October last year, just a month after Nagelsmann was appointed as Hansi Flick's successor.
However, the 30-year-old midfielder went on to enjoy a successful 2023-24 season as captain for Dortmund, starting 38 games in all competitions including the Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid.
Can will be hoping to immediately force his way into Nagelsmann's first-team plans at Euro 2024, but he faces midfield competition from captain Ilkay Gundogan, Toni Kroos, Pascal Gross and Robert Andrich.
Germany will kick-start Euro 2024 with their Group A opener against Scotland at the Allianz Arena on Friday night, before facing Hungary and Switzerland in their final two group-stage matches.
Oliver Thomas
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