Andrei Arshavin has admitted that he was not surprised to be left out of the Russia squad for next week's World Cup qualifiers.
The Arsenal forward has been a mainstay of his national team for over four years but was omitted from new manager Fabio Capello's squad for matches against Israel and Northern Ireland.
Arshavin told Sport Express: "It's logical, really. The agreement is that when I don't play well for my club, I shouldn't expect a place in the national squad.
"The fact I've been omitted did not come as a shock."
The 31-year-old was widely expected to leave North London this summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Zenit St.Petersburg, but he is still an Arsenal player.
Written by
Liam Power
Liam Power
