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City will benefit if I quit France, says Nasri

ESPN staff
August 4, 2014
Samir Nasri has scored five times for France since his debut in 2007 © PA Photos
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Samir Nasri is preparing to make an announcement on his France future and has hinted he is on the verge of retiring from international football.

The Manchester City midfielder was a controversial omission from France's World Cup squad after falling out of favour with manager Didier Deschamps.

The former Arsenal player was not even called up to the squad despite Franck Ribery being ruled out through injury and his girlfriend, Anara Atanes, responded to his exclusion with an expletive-riddled outburst at Deschamps on Twitter which led to a civil lawsuit against the model.

Nasri was also sensationally omitted from France's 2010 World Cup squad by then manager Raymond Domenech and has suggested his international days are over.

He told The Sun: "I've made the decision. I took it a while ago but I'll say it properly when the time is right.

"It's not something you can announce on Twitter. I have to do a full interview.

"I didn't win anything with the national team. So it's more easy to take this decision than if we'd just won something."

In Nasri's absence at the Brazil World Cup, Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann and Mathieu Valbuena all impressed as France reached the last eight.

"When you play for a big club, and you play lots of games. It's easy to come to this decision.

"If I do stop then City can benefit because during the international breaks I can stay and work more.

"All the players who played the World Cup and have lots of games during the season with their national teams can get tired and pick up injuries. So I think I will be fresh."

Nasri scored five goals in 41 games for France since debuting in 2007 and was banned for three games by the French Football Federation for allegedly abusive comments he made to a journalist after his country's Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat to Spain.

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