Former Rangers star Sasa Papac seems to understand Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic’s stance regarding playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Simunovic represented Croata at every level until the Under-21s before deciding to play for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team last summer.
However, as reported by The Scottish Sun, the 23-year-old centre-back has told his Bosnia manager Robert Prosinecki that he wants to concentrate on his club football for the time being.
The former Dinamo Zagreb star’s stance has been criticised by Bosnia players, according to The Scottish Sun, but former Rangers left-back Papac seems to understand it.
According to The Scottish Sun, the 38-year-old also refused to represent Bosnia while he was at Rangers.
Papac told The Scottish Sun about Simunovic: “It’s a big pity for Bosnia that he does not seem to want to play.
“I like him and when I saw he’d changed from Croatia to Bosnia my first thought was: ‘Good, he’ll be our centre-half for ten years’.
“We have central defenders but not many of them are playing Champions League football the way he is. So it’s difficult that Simunovic now seems to have changed his way of thinking.
“When I stopped playing for five years, it was because there were problems in the Bosnian FA. But once things got better organised I resumed playing for my country for another couple of years after that.
“It’s a decision for the player to make and you have to respect his decision. Maybe there will still be a chance for him in the future.”
Bright future
Simunovic is one of the best central defenders in the Scottish Premiership and is a key figure in the current Celtic team.
The 23-year-old is still young, and he will improve and develop in the coming years and has a bright future ahead of him.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
