Neuer dismisses Germany return again, leaves Bayern future open

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has again dismissed speculation concerning a national team return for next year's World Cup and has not said whether he will continue playing at all beyond the season.

There have been calls that 2014 World Cup winner Neuer should be asked to return between the Germany posts if Barcelona's Marc-André ter Stegen doesn't play enough once he returns from injury or isn't fit to play at all.

Neuer said after Bayern's 3-1 Bundesliga win over St Pauli on Saturday he is not considering a return from his national team retirement last year.

"Fact is that I resigned deliberately. My focus is fully on the club," Neuer told Sky TV.

Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann played in all six World Cup qualifiers where Germany qualified directly for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The group draw is on Friday in Washington.

Neuer, who turns 40 next year, left it open whether he would renew his contract for another year at Bayern where he has played since 2011 in a trophy-laden career including trebles in 2013 and 2020.

He said he doesn't know yet how he will decide and that any decision would not come before March because "it will be deciding how I feel, especially in the second part of the season."

Young Jonas Urbig, signed in January, has deputized several times and is the number one back-up. Bayern also have German international Alexander Nübel and Israel's Daniel Peretz under contract, who are on loan at VfB Stuttgart and SV Hamburg, respectively.