Winger Marco Reus was left out of Germany’s final Euro 2016 squad on his 27th birthday yesterday over injury concerns, missing out on his second consecutive major tournament.

Coach Joachim Loew also cut 20-year-old midfielder Julian Brandt along with his Bayer Lever-kusen team-mate Karim Bellarabi and midfielder Sebastian Rudy.

Borussia Dortmund’s Reus, who was ruled out of the 2014 World Cup after sustaining an injury in the final warm-up game, would struggle to get through a one-month tournament due to fitness problems, Loew said.

The 27-year-old, considered among the most talented German players of his generation, had another injury-plagued season with Dortmund and went into the German training camp nursing an adductor muscle injury.

“The medical staff could not give a clear prognosis for Marco Reus,” Loew told reporters.

“He has massive injury problems and the medical staff was very sceptical about his ability to last through the coming weeks and such a gruelling tournament.”

Reus struggled throughout the season with muscle problems as well as a toe injury.

“He can barely run straight at the moment and you have to be fully fit if you play in a European championship,” team-mate Sami Khedira said.

“It is very bitter but I am confident Marco Reus will get his chance on the big stage.”

The Germans, eyeing their fourth continental title and first since 1996, have been drawn in Group C along with Poland, Ukraine and Northern Ireland for the tournament in France starting on June 10.

Loew kept faith with youngsters Leroy Sane, Julian Weigl and Joshua Kimmich and included veteran captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and defender Mats Hummels even though both are nursing injuries.

“Both players will be ready for the Euro,” Loew said.

Germany lost 3-1 to Slovakia in a friendly last weekend and play Hungary on Sunday in their final warm-up game.

Loew’s squad

Goalkeepers: Neuer (Bayern Munich), Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Ter Stegen (Barcelona).

Defenders: Boateng (Bayern Munich), Can (Liverpool), Hector (Cologne), Hoewedes (Schalke), Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Mustafi (Valencia), Ruediger (Roma).

Midfielders: Draxler (Wolfsburg), Khedira (Juventus), Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Kroos (Real Madrid), Mueller (Bayern Munich), Ozil (Arsenal), Podolski (Galatasaray), Schuerrle (Wolfsburg), Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Weigl (Borussia Dortmund).

Forwards: Gomez (Besiktas), Goetze (Bayern Munich), Sane (Schalke).

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