Jürgen Klopp Faces Early Challenge with Assan Ouédraogo Injury

Jürgen Klopp’s Germany plans have taken an early hit before they’ve even properly begun.

The new national team coach is due to name his first squad next Thursday for Nations League games against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia. One of the brightest young options for that list, Assan Ouédraogo, is suddenly in serious doubt.

The 20-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder suffered a fresh shoulder injury in his side’s 5-0 demolition of Hamburg on Sunday. He started the match but lasted only 35 minutes, forced off after a collision with Albert Grønbæk that immediately raised concern on the Leipzig bench.

For Klopp, the timing is brutal. For Leipzig, the worry runs deeper.

The club fear the problem is tied to the same shoulder issue that ruled Ouédraogo out for the whole of last August. That prospect darkened the mood around the result almost instantly, turning a routine rout into an afternoon of anxiety.

“I think it's the same injury. Things don't look promising. We need him. He is an amazing talent, both for Germany and for our club,” he said after the game, underlining just how central the youngster has become to both Leipzig’s project and Germany’s future.

Ouédraogo’s short career in Leipzig has already been stalked by misfortune. Since joining the club in 2024, injuries have repeatedly halted his progress, costing him more than 380 days on the sidelines. Every time he seems ready to build rhythm, another setback drags him back.

Early indications suggest this latest blow could again keep him out for several weeks.

For a player tipped to be part of Klopp’s new era with Germany, and for a club that has invested heavily in his development, the question now is not just whether he makes this first squad — but how long they will have to wait before his talent can finally run without interruption.