Following the news that Steve Cherundolo is set to retire from the game, another U.S. international defender plying his trade in the Bundesliga is in the news.
According to a report in Germany, Nuremberg head coach Gertjan Verbeek has said right back Timmy Chandler will not play again this season. The 23-year-old right back has yet to recover from a torn meniscus he suffered back on February 9 against Bayern Munich.
Many feared Chandler would miss the remainder of the 2013-14 campaign, but it was hoped the World Cup hopeful would return to action before the end of the season to give Jurgen Klinsmann another option at the back. However, it now seems that Chandler’s race against the clock will be a ferocious one, as he aims to try and get back to full fitness and get on the plane to Brazil.
Klinsmann mentioned Chandler’s name recently when stating which European based players he was still keen to assess ahead of the World Cup in Brazil this summer. Chandler has played 19 times this season, but with the U.S. well-stocked with options at right back, many thought he had an outside chance to make the World Cup roster. And, let’s face it, Chandler has hardly endeared himself to the U.S. faithful after turning down call-ups in the past, then coming back into the lineup.
Regardless, he is a quality option at right back and after Cherundolo’s potential retirement coming after an injury to Brad Evans at the weekend, it’s a case of last man standing for the RB spot right now. Klinsmann needs to give Stoke City a call and ask them to wrap Geoff Cameron up in cotton wool… But seriously.
