Germany coach Joachim Low is seeking talks with Jens Lehmann to clarify his international future ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign.Speculation has been rife that goalkeeper Lehmann will retire from the national team, but the 38-year-old has been tight-lipped on his future since Germany's 1-0 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2008 final.

"Goalkeeper coach Andy Kopke and I first need to meet with Jens Lehmann to discuss how he is and how we imagine the future," Low told German newspaper, Bild.

The 48-year-old coach, who will now plot Germany's attempt to reach South Africa in 2010, admits that when Lehmann does retire there is no natural successor for the number one shirt.

"After Jens we do not have a goalkeeper with great international experience. There will be a competitive battle and we will not point immediately to a number one," he added.

Low may well be hoping that Lehmann does decide to add to his 61 caps as Robert Enke and Rene Adler, who both went to Euro 2008 as understudies, have just a single cap between them.

Other names in the running to replace the former Arsenal stopper are Schalke's Manuel Neuer and Bayern Munich's Michael Rensing, although they have yet to feature in Germany's senior squad.

Lehmann, who has just signed a one-year deal at Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart, refused to speak about his future in the aftermath of his country's defeat to Spain in Vienna last month.

"I don't want to talk about anything else," Lehmann said. "I have to digest this disappointment first.

"You can imagine if I make any other decisions I'll tell the coach and the other players first."

More Football News from TEAMtalk