Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw has shared images on his Instagram of his return to the Germany squad.placeholder image
Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw has shared images on his Instagram of his return to the Germany squad. | Instagram
Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw has been sharing some snaps of him joining up with the Germany squad.
Two years is a long time in football. And after a spell in the international wilderness, Malick Thiaw is finally back in the Germany fold.
The Newcastle United defender joined up with the Germany squad this week, having not been in the fold since his AC Milan days. The centre-half was last capped in a friendly v Mexico back in October 2023.
Why he’s not been capped at inter
And he’s been sharing shots on his socials of joining up, and training with his countrymen ahead of two crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw has shared images on his Instagram of his return to the Germany squad.placeholder image
Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw has shared images on his Instagram of his return to the Germany squad. | Instagram
Julian Nagelsmann on recalling Newcastle United’s Malick Thiaw to Germany camp
Thiaw this week returned to the Germany camp, having played his last game for his country in October 2023, a match which Germany drew 2-2 with Mexico in a friendly.
He joins Newcastle United record signing Nick Woltemade in the camp. Germany face World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg on Friday and Slovakia on Monday.
He said: "Malick has stabilized and is doing very well as a regular starter at Newcastle. He wasn't with us for a long time, partly because he hadn't played much in Milan for six months. He deserves to be back."
Eddie Howe on Malick Thiaw’s impact at Newcastle United
When asked a few weeks back if Thiaw had settled quicker than expected, head coach Eddie Howe replied: “When you've played at the level that he's played at for the last few seasons and also for the size of club that's he has done, you hope that he can come in and handle everything that the Premier League has to offer, that he can handle playing for Newcastle.
“His experience - he's got really good experience in the game – has shone through. Off the pitch, he's been very, very calm, quite quiet, but very, very focused, and on the training pitch is where he's elevated his performances.
“He trained really well in those early weeks when he wasn't playing and that was crucial for him, that he didn't let the fact he didn't go straight into the team affect him and then when he got his opportunity, he was able to take it.”
Newcastle United made ‘various attempts’ to sign Malick Thiaw
Newcastle came up against Thiaw during a Champions League match at the San Siro in September 2023 and in the following summer were linked with a transfer.
Quizzed about the Thiaw links during the club’s pre-season tour of Tokyo, Howe admitted he was a “very good player” but that was as far as it went as United instead tried, and failed, to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
It wasn’t until Thiaw rejected a move to Como 1907 in July that the Newcastle links re-emerged. And this time, it was concrete. This time, a deal was struck.
“Malick was a player we'd known for a long, long time and we'd made various attempts to try and sign him and it hadn't quite worked out in previous windows,” Howe explained to NewcastleWorld.
“This window, it felt like everything might align a bit better in terms of his situation at his club, our need, available funds, there's a lot that goes into it and thankfully that was the case.
“It wasn't an easy transfer to complete, he's obviously very highly rated, but we were delighted to see off any other suitors and finally get him. It felt like a long pursuit but certainly worth the wait.”
Continue Reading