Gross returned to Brighton after two years away with Borussia Dortmund in January.
Back in the Germany squad this week, Hurzeler said of the 34 year-old midfielder: "First of all, I'm really happy for Pascal and he deserves it because he's working hard, he's training hard. He's there for me. He's there for the team. He has put in really good performances since he's been here. He deserves it. You don't always need a big exchange with the coach.
"I think sometimes performances, actions and behaviours on the pitch speak for themselves and therefore I don't always need to have an exchange. I think Julien saw Pascal’s games and saw how he's performing. He knows what great personality Pascal has. He always puts the team first and that's crucial for every national team.
"I think with Pascal is you can't replace him even if you wanted to – this ability to build a connection together in a group. I think this can be key or a game changer to winning something."
Hurzeler also said: "At the moment I'm leaning on the old players because I think they brought the stability, but it doesn't mean that the young players won't have any opportunity anymore. I think we are able to manage the key moments of the game better and therefore Pascal plays a very important role.
"But I also want to emphasise, we speak a lot about the experienced players, the leaders at the moment, and they did an unbelievable job in the last few weeks. They were leading by example."