Mesut Ozil not included in Germany squad for Confederations Cup

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has not been included in Germany's squad for this summer's Confederations Cup in Russia.

The 28-year-old is out of the 23-man squad along with several other players that lifted the 2014 World Cup such as Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng.

Germany coach Joachim Low has selected a young squad for the tournament, which stretches from June 17 to July 2 and could see those involved play up to five games ahead of returning for pre-season with their clubs.

"Some players who we've already seen play at major tournaments before have been given a break because I think three tournaments in three years is a heavy workload," Low is quoted by Sky Sports News as saying.

"They have been deliberately left out because the 2018 World Cup stands above all else."

However, Gunners defender Shkodran Mustafi, Liverpool midfielder Emre Can and Manchester City winger Leroy Sane are included in the Nationalelf squad.

Germany Confederations Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders: Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund), Jonas Hector (FC Koln), Benjamin Henrichs (Bayer Leverkusen), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Niklas Sule (Hoffenheim), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Skhodran Mustafi (Arsenal), Antonio Rudiger (Roma)
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Emre Can (Liverpool), Kerem Demirbay (Hoffenheim), Diego Demme (RB Leipzig), Julian Draxler (PSG), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04)
Forwards: Lars Stindl (Borussia Monchengladbach), Sandro Wagner (Hoffenheim), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Amim Younes (Ajax), Sebastian Rudy (Hoffenheim), Leroy Sane (Manchester City)