Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade featured for Germany on Monday evening but remains vulnerable to losing his position in the squad ahead of World Cup 2026. Julian Nagelsmann's team secured a 2-1 victory over Ghana.

The fixture held particular importance as it was Woltemade's final opportunity to turn out for his country before the pre-tournament squads are announced in May. The 24-year-old has established himself as a consistent starter for Germany, netting four times in six matches during World Cup qualifying and he completed 78 minutes in last night's friendly.

However, Woltemade faces competition for his starting berth from Arsenal's Kai Havertz, who converted from the penalty spot against Ghana. His other rival, Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav, emerged as the match-winner after securing an 88th-minute goal at his home stadium.

Woltemade's recent performances in a Newcastle shirt will hardly alleviate the pressure, having gone 13 league games without finding the net. Here is what the German press made of Woltemade's display.

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A match report from Kicker highlighted the "intensity" that the Newcastle forward has delivered to the German national setup. Woltemade was included in the starting XI on his return to Stuttgart's ground after appearing as a substitute in a 4-3 triumph over Switzerland last week.

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He set up Liverpool's Florian Wirtz for a goal that was disallowed for offside and nearly notched his fifth international strike with a shot that rattled the crossbar early in the second period. Woltemade's combination play formed a key element of his performance but he also faced criticism for "making a few poor decisions".

Summarising Woltemade's prospects, Kicker wrote: "In the striker hierarchy, a healthy and fit Kai Havertz, this time deployed on the right and scoring from the penalty spot, is ahead of Woltemade."

Bild focused on Woltemade and Undav's contrasting fortunes. The Newcastle striker was reported to have squandered a "golden opportunity" in the opening stages with a shot that sailed wide of the goal.

Germany goalscorer Undav is enjoying a rich vein of form for Stuttgart. His decisive strike against Ghana prompted Bild to acknowledge that "things aren't going quite so well" for Woltemade.

The match report stated: "Will Nagelsmann stick with his current strategy of making Undav the number three forward behind Havertz and Woltemade? Nagelsmann has 75 days until the World Cup opener against Curacao to find the answer."

The German outlet challenged Nagelsmann's choice to field Woltemade from the start but also provided some reassurance as to why he might feature at the World Cup. The formation saw Havertz shifted out to the right flank to make room for the Newcastle player in a central position.

Suddeutsche Zeitung wrote of the manager's team selection: "If the starting line-up sent a message, it was this: Nagelsmann can't be all that enamoured with the running patterns of Deniz Undav, Germany's most prolific striker." Woltemade was tellingly chosen ahead of Undav at his own stadium.

He sent "an excellent chance just wide" within four minutes and was "applauded enthusiastically" after subsequently striking the woodwork. Crucially for Woltemade, Havertz "seemed perfectly at ease" playing on the wing, which might reduce his competition for the central striker role.

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