Noah Atubolu: Freiburg’s Nigeria-eligible star withdraws from Germany U21 team ahead of Ukraine, Kosovo games

The youngster has been impressive in his debut campaign in the Bundesliga and is seen as a fantastic prospect for the future

FC Freiburg’s goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has withdrawn from the Germany U21 national team, Soccernet.ng reports.

Atubolu is the first-choice goalkeeper for the German youth side, and he was named in the squad preparing to face Ukraine and Kosovo in international matches this month.

But a spokesperson from SC Freiburg, as per the German press, has confirmed that Atubolu will not be available for the games.

According to the reports, Atubolu’s withdrawal from the matches results from an ankle injury he suffered.

Before picking up the problem in his inner ligament, Atubolu was in goal at the weekend for Freiburg in their disappointing 0-5 loss away to Stuttgart.

That was Atubolu’s third Bundesliga outing, as he only made his debut in August, helping Freiburg to an impressive 2-1 away victory at Hoffenheim.

The 21-year-old shot-stopper kept a clean sheet in his second match as Freiburg edged to a narrow 1-0 win over Werder Bremen.

Despite representing Germany at U17, U19, and U21 levels, Atubolu remains eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

Atubolu’s promotion to the Bundesliga could raise interest from the Nigeria Football Federation.

The Super Eagles boast the talents of Francis Uzoho, Maduka Okoye, and Adebayo Adeleye, but the team’s goalkeeping problems persist.

Often compared to Manuel Neuer, Atubolu’s abilities are not in doubt. In his first few weeks in the Bundesliga, the 1.89m-tall gloveman has been nominated for the Rookie of the Month award.

He, however, faces stiff competition for the award from new Super Eagles and Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface and RB Leipzig ace Xavi Simons.