A member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona has this week made the call to pull out of his country’s latest national team squad.

This comes amid confirmation that Andreas Christensen will not link up with his Danish teammates over the days ahead.

Stopper Christensen is for his part fresh off a return to the pitch, this past weekend. Following several months on the sidelines with a muscular injury, the former Chelsea man featured off the bench in a 2-1 Blaugrana victory over Atlético Madrid.

And Christensen is evidently keen to not only maintain, but improve upon his current level of fitness over the next couple of weeks.

Speaking during an interview with Tipsbladet (as cited by Mundo Deportivo) on Tuesday, Denmark national team boss Brian Riemer revealed that his defensive star has not accepted his latest call-up:

“He loves the Danish national team. Last night, I practically had a man in tears on the phone because he is so frustrated and upset about this situation.

“He has decided that he is not ready, and that is why he has had to withdraw. Given the current condition of his body, he does not feel ready to play international matches.”