Scott Arfield has opted out of international duty with Canada this month as he continues to focus on Rangers, in a move Steven Gerrard will love [Glasgow Times].
Scottish-born Arfield qualifies for Canada through his father and has been capped a total of 19 times since making his debut in 2016, even captaining the side at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
However, he hasn’t played an international match for some time, with Canada’s schedule significantly impacted by the pandemic and the 32-year-old opting to prioritise Rangers.
Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, he confirmed that he is continuing with that approach in the short term, despite the fact that the Canucks are set to face both Bermuda and the Cayman Islands in World Cup Qualifiers later this month.
“I won’t be involved in this squad for the March camp,” said Arfield [Glasgow Times]. “I spoke to the manager on numerous occasions and we are just taking it day by day and see where that takes us in the future.”
“I think the journeys do take a toll. I’m not going to sugar coat it. The flights you take, particularly all over North America, do take their toll when you come back. But professionally you have to be on it if you want to play international football.
“I don’t regret one bit the decision I made. I’ve seen parts of the world and been to places I could only dream of and I feel extremely lucky to be able to represent my father’s birthplace. So it’s not a decision that I took lightly. But the March camp has come too quick for me.
“I’ve put full focus on my club career to try and win the league. Thankfully, we have done that and we will see what the position is moving forward.”
The league title may already have been secured but the Gers have plenty left to play for over the final months of the campaign.
They will hope to still be in the Europa League after the international break, while there’s an unbeaten record in the Premiership to maintain and the Scottish Cup to compete for.
Earlier this season, after praising Arfield’s form, Steven Gerrard said: “he thankfully doesn’t go on international duty any more and we can keep an eye on him here and he can train with us” [RangersTV].
Therefore, the Rangers boss will be delighted with the midfielder’s decision to skip Canada’s upcoming matches.
Arfield has made 38 appearances in all competitions so far this season, despite missing over a month with an ankle injury, scoring seven goals and notching five assists.
The ex-Burnley star will be hoping to start in Thursday night’s Europa League Last 16 second-leg clash against Slavia Prague and the opposition have been dealt a blow ahead of the game.
