BERLIN (AP) — Newcastle forward Nick Woltemade did not join the Germany squad as planned on Monday ahead of World Cup qualifying games because of an illness.

The 23-year-old Woltemade, who scored in Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, has a flu infection, the German soccer federation said Monday.

It’s unclear if he will be fit in time to face Luxembourg in Sinsheim on Friday or Northern Ireland in Belfast next Monday.

Woltemade will be expected to join the rest of the Germany squad in the coming days, and coach Julian Nagelsmann did not call up any replacement for the player who joined Newcastle from Stuttgart during the offseason.

Woltemade has made a promising start at Newcastle, with three goals in eight days, including one during the team’s 4-0 win at Union Saint-

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