Denmark boss Brian Riemer says Andreas Christensen ‘almost crying’ after international omission

Denmark manager Brian Riemer says Andreas Christensen was close to tears when told he would not be included in the squad for the current international break.

The Barcelona defender returned to action against Atletico Madrid recently after being out for almost two months with injury, but has decided not to join up with his national team.

“Christensen loves the Denmark team,” Riemer told Danish newspaper Tipsbladet. “Yesterday, I could almost hear a man crying over the phone because he is extremely frustrated and annoyed about being left out.”

Riemer said the decision was made because Christensen did not believe he was physically ready to play international football.

“He has seen that he is not ready physically, so he had to apologise for not joining the national team,” he said. “With the state his body is in at the moment, he does not feel ready to play international matches.”

The Denmark manager added that the 29-year-old needed to continue his rehabilitation programme with specialists at Barcelona.

Christensen’s absence was therefore the player’s own decision, with Riemer saying he wanted to avoid unnecessary risks during his return to competitive football.

“Even if he is able to sit on the bench and play for five minutes, he still has a long way to go before he can play 90 minutes and compete at the highest level,” Riemer said.

The Denmark boss also pointed to Christensen’s injury history as a reason for taking a cautious approach to his recovery and avoiding any rush to bring him back into full competition.

“We want him to be ready by March just as much,” Riemer said.

Christensen suffered a muscle injury to the rectus femoris in his left thigh on 20 September, before returning to play for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid.

He has nevertheless chosen to remain with his club during the international break so he can complete his recovery and rebuild his fitness.