Many players from the Borussia Dortmund squad are expected to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup next month, but a few haven't been lucky enough to make the cut.
With Italy failing to qualify, it ended any prospect for any of the three young guns in the side - Samuele Inacio, Luca Reggiani and Filippo Mane.
Meanwhile, Algeria's Ramy Bensebaini is also uncertain as the defender continues his recovery from a foot injury and has been omitted from their preliminary squad.
Now, another player who may not feature at the upcoming showpiece in the Americas is Yan Couto. The 23-year-old was overlooked by Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti in his 55-man preliminary squad.
The news may have come as a surprise for Dortmund fans, especially considering Ancelotti has called up a 41-year-old Thiago Silva as well as striker Endrick, who has played fewer times this season than Couto.
Currently on loan with Ligue 1 side Lyon, Endrick has played 20 times for them in all competitions while Couto has featured in 26 games for the BVB.
However, it's also worth noting that Couto hasn't played for the Canaries since 2024 and has a meager four caps to his name.
It's certainly a huge blow for the youngster who has won the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup with Brazil and just six years ago, was also seen as the latest in the long list of stellar right-backs the nation has produced over the years.
Couto was billed as the next big thing of Selecao given his promising displays and exceptional talents. But it wasn't long before all such expectations were dampened.
He wasn't really given enough chances to shine, perhaps due to an array of talents in the squad, even as Couto kept growing from strength to strength at Dortmund.
The defender made 35 appearances on loan in the 2024-25 season before the BVB made his move permanent last summer. The young gun continued his form in the new term as well, starting regularly, but since the turn of the year, Couto's appearances have dwindled.
In 2026, the Brazilian has started only three league games while being on the bench in eight as the player appears to have dropped down the pecking order in Kovac's set-up with Julian Ryerson making a meteoric rise to prominence.
This could have been a huge factor behind Ancelotti overlooking Couto. But at 23, he can still expect plenty of opportunities in the years to come.
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