AMSTERDAM—Borussia Monchengladbach caretaker manager Andre Schubert is still unsure whether nicked winger Fabian Johnson will suit up this weekend, but he is certain that US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was off-base with recent comments about the player upon his return to club life.
Klinsmann sent the versatile midfielder/defender home before Tuesday's US friendly vs. Costa Rica, saying "[Johnson] said he couldn’t go anymore and I reacted to it and obviously made the substitution. But he just feared to get possibly an injury, but he was not injured in that moment. He got all stiffened up. It’s a muscle issue. That’s normal. In a situation like that, little things often make a difference."
Reiterating the club's stance, Schubert opened by commenting on the player's status for Saturday's Bundesliga tilt at Eintracht Frankfurt. Johnson will be subject to a late fitness check due to a thigh muscle problem that has nagged him since preseason.
"I'm assuming that he will be available in Frankfurt," Schubert told reporters on Thursday evening. "We won't know that until tomorrow either, though."
After giving the medical update, Schubert launched a stern defense of the US international.
"I can vehemently deny everything that has been written and said about him recently," Schubert said. "I know Fabian to be a top professional who has a great mindset when it comes to the team, his job and his health.
"When a player feels a tightening of their thigh in added time in a game and could then be on the verge of a more serious injury, I only think it's the responsibility of the team and himself to have him subbed off."
