Jurgen Klopp hands Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta huge fitness boost after naming first squad
Jurgen Klopp has picked his first ever Germany squad
Jurgen Klopp has handed Arsenal centre-forward Kai Havertz the chance to rest during the upcoming international break in a major boost for Mikel Arteta.
National teams are scheduled to play up to four matches before the return of club football in October and former Liverpool boss Klopp, now in charge of Germany, has named a 44-man roster to combat the schedule.
In what's being viewed as a revolutionary move, Klopp has called up two separate squads to play two matches each and Havertz will represent Germany in the first two games of the break against Netherlands (A) and Greece (H) before returning to his club.
Die Mannschaft will then face Serbia (H) and Greece (A) with Liverpool's Florian Wirtz among those to be included in Klopp's second squad.
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In the case of Havertz, it means he will go just shy of two weeks without playing before Arsenal face high-flying Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on October 10.
Whites midfielder Anton Stach has also been included in Klopp's first squad alongside Havertz and Brentford winger Kevin Schade.
Newcastle duo Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade, currently on loan at Juventus, are part of the second squad with Wirtz.
Klopp said when reflecting on his decisions: "Putting together the squad was fun. I want to get to know as many players as possible and get as many impressions of them as possible."
Kai Havertz will get some extra rest during the international break before Arsenal face Leeds(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Germany are under pressure to restore their fortunes following a shocking display at the World Cup which saw them defeated in the Round of 32 by Paraguay after also losing to Ecuador in the group phase.
The head coach also confirmed that some players from the first group will be staying on to train due to their lack of fitness when the rest of their team-mates depart the first camp.
Klopp explained: "With Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, and Serge Gnabry, we have three players who have been going through a difficult time.
"If at all possible, we want to keep the three of them with us every two weeks to give them rhythm and have them involved in regular team training."
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