Manuel Neuer: 'Germany squad accept Mesut Ozil's decision to retire'

Manuel Neuer has insisted that the Germany squad have accepted Mesut Ozil's decision to retire from international football.

The Arsenal player quit the national team after their early exit from the World Cup in Russia in the wake of what he described as "racism and disrespect", both from fans and the Germany setup itself.

The 29-year-old will leave a big hole in Joachim Low's national squad, but Neuer insists that his teammates must move on from his departure.

"It's the decision of the player," Neuer told reporters.

"When another player is saying that he wants to [retire] it's his own decision. You have to search for the reasons on your own then and in that case, he has found them.

"We're accepting this decision of course. In the past other players had quit their career at the national team too after a tournament like the European Championship or the World Cup."

Ozil is back training with Arsenal under new manager Unai Emery and recently captained his side to a 5-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.