Nagelsmann adds Brajan Gruda as extra training player before Euro 2024

In early June 2024, shortly before the European Championship on home soil, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann invited Brajan Gruda into the national team's preparation camp. The young attacking midfielder, then at Mainz 05, joined as an additional training player and had no senior international appearance to his name.

The move was not a place in the tournament squad. Such extra players help coaches run full-sized training sessions and let them take a closer look at promising talents in the team environment, while the final squad is trimmed to the official number.

Why it mattered: the invitation showed that Nagelsmann and the German football association (DFB) had Gruda on their radar well before any call-up for a competitive match. It was an early sign that the player, who had come through Germany's youth teams, was seen as a possible future option for the senior side. That background gives context to the later talk of a first cap.