Bayer 04 Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah has earned his first call up to the full Germany squad, making Joachim Löw's 27-man group for the friendlies against England and Italy later this month.

Löw: 'football classics'

"Because of the injuries to Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Höwedes, we wanted more options in defence," said Löw. "We've watched Jonathan Tah a lot of times, and we're now curious to see how he settles into our circle."

Tah, 20, is the only newcomer in an otherwise familiar-looking squad that boasts 15 Bundesliga players. Bayer 04 Leverkusen have contributed four players to the group, among them goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who will be hopeful of a first senior cap alongside club-mate Tah. Bundesliga table-toppers FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund have provided three players each, with Bayern's Mario Götze a notable returnee after struggling with a groin injury since last October.

"It is important for us to convey to the players very specifically what we expect of them in view of the European Championship," said Löw. "We want to see them in training and in games in the coming weeks. This is why we have named such a large squad. This does not mean that players who are not here are going to be written off."

"These games are absolute football classics, the kind of games one wishes for. They are a welcome opportunity to start the year positively and to get us ready for the EURO. Of course we know that the players have crucial weeks ahead of them with their clubs, both domestically and in Europe."

The squad in full:

Goalkeepers:

Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München), Bernd Leno (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (FC Barcelona, ESP), Kevin Trapp (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA)

Defenders:

Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia CF, ESP), Jonas Hector (1. FC Köln), Sebastian Rudy (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Emre Can (Liverpool FC, ENG), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund), Antonio Rüdiger (AS Roma, ITA), Jonathan Tah (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Midfielders:

Sami Khedira (Juventus FC, ITA), Bastian Schweinsteiger (c) (Manchester United FC, ENG), Mesut Özil (Arsenal FC, ENG), Andre Schürrle (VfL Wolfsburg), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray SK, TUR), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid CF, ESP), Christoph Kramer (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (VfL Wolfsburg), Karim Bellarabi (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Forwards:

Max Kruse (VfL Wolfsburg), Mario Götze (FC Bayern München), Mario Gomez (Besiktas JK, TUR), Kevin Volland (TSG1899 Hoffenheim)

Want more Bundesliga Action?

GET THE UPDATES!