Newcastle's Matt Ritchie has informed Scotland boss Steve Clarke that he is retiring from international football.
The 30-year-old won 16 caps for his country, scoring on three occasions, but wasn't included in Clarke's squad to face Cyprus and Kazakhstan in Scotland's final Euro 2020 qualifiers as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
Ritchie had previously told former Scotland boss Alex McLeish that he didn't want to be considered for selection, although that wasn't an official retirement.
According to the Daily Mail, there are several reasons for Ritchie's decision - one being his family.
The Scot's family are based in Hampshire and Ritchie would like to use the international break to spend time with them - the long trip down from Newcastle means he can't visit regularly during the domestic season.
Ritchie also wants to focus on his career at St James' Park rather than the national team.
Transforming into a wing-back under Rafa Benitez, Ritchie became a key member of the Newcastle squad with the Spaniard at the helm. In the 2017/18 season, he made 35 league appearances for the Magpies in their return to the top flight, registering a combined nine goals and assists, while last season he bagged eight assists in 36 Premier League
However, he's seen his start to the current campaign cut short by injury following a collision with Hamza Choudury during a Carabao Cup clash against Leicester back in August. Ritchie was forced to undergo a minor operation after sustaining ligament damage as a result of the challenge.
The wing-back is determined to fight for his place in Steve Bruce's side when he does return, but the performances of summer signing Jetro Willems in recent weeks won't make that task an easy one for Ritchie - who'll be hoping to sign a new deal at the club before his current contract expires at the end of next season.
While he's ready to fight for his place at Newcastle, Ritchie believes
Source: 90min
