Germany coach Joachim Low should leave Thomas Muller out of his squad for the Confederations Cup this year, according to former captain Lothar Matthaus.
Muller has endured a difficult season with Bayern Munich, scoring just four goals in 24 appearances while being used in a variety of different roles in Carlo Ancelotti's system.
The 27-year-old showed signs of a slump in standards last year, as he scored only six times in the Bundesliga after the mid-season break before failing to net at all during Germany's Euro 2016 campaign.
"He should definitely not take him to the Confederations Cup," Matthaus, a seven-time Bundesliga champion in a glittering Bayern career, told Bild.
"I expect Jogi Low to leave Thomas and other players under a heavy workload out of his team so they have a long summer break one year ahead of the World Cup."
"There will be times when he will be on the bench for one or two matches at Bayern again," he said. "But that is normal at this club.
"Still, in general, he needs to feel the support. And Carlo Ancelotti does that. He will be in good shape again."
