Füllkrug is back in Germany's squad, but Tresoldi is the real puzzle

Germany's search for a reliable striker has two names attached to it right now. One is a comeback story. The other is a decision that won't come until next summer.

What happened?

Niclas Füllkrug is back in the national team. After difficult spells at West Ham United and AC Milan, the 33-year-old was loaned to Werder Bremen in the summer. Since then he has scored 12 goals in 11 games.

Until the 0:1 defeat in Stuttgart, he had scored in seven Bundesliga games in a row. He is the league's top scorer.

National coach Jürgen Klopp resisted for a while. In the end he said that good form and goals are "never bad", and that Füllkrug has an "incredible influence" on Bremen's play. He is in the squad for the Nations League games against Serbia and the Netherlands. Nick Woltemade, Deniz Undav and Jonathan Burkardt were not called up.

Who is Tresoldi?

Nicolò Tresoldi is the other name. The 22-year-old striker plays for Club Brugge in Belgium and has been impressive. He scored a Champions League hat-trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro, and he is a self-declared AC Milan fan. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan want to sign him in winter.

He was born and raised in Italy and holds Italian citizenship, like his father, who was also a professional footballer. He received his German passport through naturalisation at 18. So far he plays for Germany's U21 side, with 16 goals in 27 games. That hasn't tied him to Germany permanently.

Germany or Italy?

Tresoldi says he will decide after the European Championship next summer. "In my heart it is half Italy, half Germany," he said in September.

Italy's coach Roberto Mancini has spoken to him and said: "I hope he makes the right decision." He added that Tresoldi could be an important player for Italy. Klopp has spoken to him too, but said Germany doesn't need to "run after anybody".

What's next?

Füllkrug has the next two Nations League games to make his case. Kai Havertz remains the first-choice striker when fit. The bigger answer, though, is months away: which of the two national teams gets Tresoldi?

And with Füllkrug back for now, the question stays open whether he is a long-term answer or just a stopgap.