Serbia and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has decided to hang his boots on his international career.
According to the Serbian Football Association, the 32-year-old, who has been a Serbia national team regular since 2014, has decided to step down from international football to give opportunities to younger players.
The Serbian Football Association’s sports director, Vladimir Matijasevic, speaking to Belgrade media, said that Matic had decided to end his International Career. He said: “Other than saying it was time for younger players to take over, Matic did not state any other specific reasons for quitting.”
“We respect his decision. He is 32 years old and he’s had an exerting club season. European club football is demanding and hence we are aware that we’ll have to inject fresh blood into the national team.
“We’ve got several players who are over the hill and we realize that some of them may call time on their international careers in the next year or two,” added Matijasevic per Sky.
Serbia still has a chance of making Euro 2020, which was moved one year backward due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For Serbia’s remaining Euros qualifiers, they face Norway in a playoff semi-final on October 8. A win in that game means they would host the winner of the second semi-final clash between Scotland and Israel in the finals to book a spot next year’s Euros tournament.
Serbia would travel to Russia on September 3, while they host Turkey in Belgrade three days after in their opening Nations League matches.
Matic, who switched to Manchester United from Chelsea in 2017, has scored two goals in 48 appearances for the Serbian national team.
The Serbian was vital for Manchester United last season. He played 34 games in all competitions for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scoring once while assisting three goals, as he played the anchor-man role in the Red’s midfield superbly.
