Marco Reus Getty
German superstar Marco Reus has been omitted from his nation's 23-man Euro 2016 squad while Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has made the cut.
Germany coach Joachim Low said the decision to exclude Reus, one of Germany's most exciting players, was because the Borussia Dortmund midfielder has "massive health problems". Going into more detail Low explained that the mysterious injury means Reus "can only run in a straight line".
Given the strains of potentially six weeks of action in France, Low said he simply could not take the risk and include the midfielder, who also missed out on the 2014 World Cup because of injury.
"With Marco Reus, the situation is the doctors cannot give me any definite forecast," Low said at a press conference.
"Marco has serious health problems. At the moment, he can only run in a straight line.
"The doctors are sceptical that he will be fully fit in the coming weeks and with these demanding games.
"Therefore, it's a bitter decision for us and for him, and disappointing for everybody - he would have been a huge enrichment for us."
Meanwhile room was found in the 23-man squad for Schweinsteiger, the Manchester United midfielder who has made just six appearances this year because of ongoing injury problems.
"The doctors have confirmed that Bastian and Mats Hummels are both going to be fit to play," reported Low.
Bastian Schweinsteiger missed much of Manchester United's season (Getty)
Karim Bellarabi, Julian Brandt and Sebastian Rudy were also sent back from Germany's training camp in Ascona, Switzerland.
Germany's first group game is against Ukraine on June 12 in Lille.
Germany squad for Euro 2016:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Emre Can (Liverpool), Antonio Rudiger (Roma)
Midfielders: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Leroy Sane (Schalke), Andre Schurrle (Wolfsburg), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Mario Gomez (Besiktas)
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