Newcastle’s Paul Dummett told Ryan Giggs he did not feel it was the right time to return to the national set up and explained he wants to focus on his club’s relegation battle.
Wales fans may have been surprised at the news that Paul Dummett had been omitted from Ryan Gigg’s squad.
However, they will have since learnt that Dummett consciously turned down the opportunity to be a part of the squad after a conversation with Giggs prior to the announcement.
The Wales boss explained that a conversation had been had between himself and the left-back, who has missed out on the squad a fair few times since his last cap in 2015, and that Dummett had told him that he wished to concentrate on his club career for the remainder of the season, with Newcastle still very much a part of the relegation battle.
Per the Chronicle, Giggs said: “I had a conversation with Paul Dummett, because he hasn’t been in the last few squads, and he just felt that it wasn’t the right time to come back.
“He wanted concentrate on his Newcastle career which I have to respect, and we move on.
“In the future we will wait and see.”
Dummett’s decision to turn down Wales is great news for Newcastle fans, who will appreciate his dedication to the club, but for a player who has been snubbed time and time again in terms of international call ups over the last three years, the left-back should be jumping at the opportunity to play international football again.
Wales are a serious footballing outfit at this moment in time and Dummett will have been watching closely as they made it to the Euro 2016 finals after a stunning campaign. With those sorts of moments to aspire to, it seems strange to bypass these sorts of opportunities.
With rising stars in his position such as Rangers’ Declan John, who has been performing magnificently at Ibrox, in Giggs’ squad, the starting left-back position is no easy thing to come by, and the more experienced gained by the likes of John will only give the youngster an upper hand in the years to come.
Hopefully for the Newcastle left-back, his recent decision will not be one that comes back to haunt him.
However, he should look at fellow defender Micah Richards as an example.
Under the management of Roy Hodgson, Richards declined the offer to be the squad’s stand-by player for Euro 2012. Richards may well have had aspirations of a greater role than the squad’s stand-by man, however, international football is not about picking and choosing and since Richards’ decision to decline Hodgson’s offer, the former Manchester City man is yet to pull on the Three Lions shirt.
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