Southampton's Kotchap earns Germany callup for Nations League matches

Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap was included in Germany's 24-man squad for their Nations League games against Hungary and England next week as coach Hansi Flick finetunes his team ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in November.

The 20-year-old, who joined the Premier League club this season, had spent four years at VfL Bochum and is an Under-21 international.

"He has really developed well at Southampton," Flick said on Thursday. "We talked to our Under-21 team where he is an important player.

Flick said the player's performances had also been a surprise for Germany's coaches.

"That is why we will use these eight days to have a look at him," Flick said.

There were no other surprises in his squad that will host Hungary in Leipzig on September 23 before travelling to England three days later.

Timo Werner and Jamal Musiala will lead their attack, along with Thomas Mueller and Leroy Sane.

Germany are in second place in their Nations League Group 3, a point behind Hungary and four ahead of England but their focus is already firmly on the World Cup.

The Germans, four-time winners, crashed out in the first round in the tournament in 2018.

"This is the dress rehearsal for the World Cup and already here we have little time to prepare for the World Cup so we have to get into tournament mode," Flick said.

"We won't have a lot of time to get into that mode in Qatar and we will have to hit the ground running."