RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Preparing for game against Belgium world cup In the opening game against Egypt, midfielder Axel Witsel said he had no intention of returning to Egypt. girona After one season, la liga club.
Witsel, 37, joined Girona after three years at Atletico Madrid. Girona has been relegated He was transferred to the second division last month, but had no interest in remaining with the team beyond June 30, when his contract expires.
“I’m a free agent and I’m not going to stay at Girona because they were relegated,” Witsel said in French on Friday. “So, I’m leaving with mixed feelings. But I definitely still want to play football and, unless I retire, I plan on continuing to play for the Red Devils.”
The Belgian Liege native said a return to his hometown club Standard Liege was “out of the question”. He started his professional career with Standard in 2006.
“I love Standard, but I want to be clear: I’m not coming back,” Witzel said. “It’s never easy to come back, especially when you’ve already had success in the past. It won’t be easy for[Romelu]Lukaku to return to Anderlecht either. It worked out well for[Toby]Alderweireld, but he had never played for[Royal]Antwerp before.”
Witsel will soon be playing in his fourth World Cup. He retired from the national team in May 2023, but retracted his decision a year later.
Since his debut with the Belgium national team in 2008, he has played in 138 games and scored 12 goals. Belgium will play Egypt in Seattle on Monday.
Xeno Devasto still left
Center back Zeno De Basto remained the only notable Belgian player absent from Thursday’s training session. Missed Wednesday’s practice. Friday’s training was closed to the press.
De Basto, 22, injured his leg while training with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon last month and is expected to be available until the second half of the tournament. De Basto played 26 games for Belgium and was included in the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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