Hummels progressing but not a certainty for Ukraine – Schneider

Germany assistant coach Thomas Schneider has confirmed Mats Hummels will return to full training, but is still unsure whether he will take part in their Euro 2016 opener against Ukraine.

The centre-back has been struggling with a calf injury, limiting his ability to train with his team-mates even before Germany arrived at their training base in Evian-les-Bains.

Schneider is optimistic over Hummels’ availability for the tournament, but admitted a decision is yet to be made on whether he can play on Sunday.

“The situation with Mats Hummels is looking good,” he said.

“He has trained individually for an hour, including exercises with the ball and changes of direction.

“It incorporated a mixture of everything so he can reintegrate into team training.

“He’ll have a discussion with Joachim Low after lunch, in which it’ll be decided whether he’ll travel with the side or stay here and continue individual training.”

Regardless of whether Hummels plays, Schneider is confident Germany are ready for the challenge of taking on Ukraine, but highlighted the threats posed by Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko.

“We’re ready for Sunday. Jogi Low has recently spoken about readjustments and we’ve also worked well to implement these ideas,” he continued.

“We’ve worked on areas that stood out in the friendlies, including organisation in defence and set pieces.

“[Ukraine] are a powerful side, who only conceded four goals in qualifying. They’re compact and are able to turn defence into attack.

“Ukraine boast some quick wingers in Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka, who they always look to use.”