By Laura Brandt

Turkey coach Senol Günes tried to recruit Suat Serdar

Turkey coach Senol Günes reveals he was in talks with Schalke 04's Suat Serdar about playing for the Turkish national team.
Suat Serdar.
Suat Serdar.Photo: Елена Рыбакова, Soccer.ru, CC BY-SA 3.0
Schalke 04 midfielder Suat Serdar was recently called up to the German national team for the first time, much to the disappointment of Turkey coach Senol Günes, who was hoping the 22-year-old would line up for the Turkish national team.

Speaking ahead of Turkey's games against Albania and France, Günel reveals he was in talks with Serdar, who was born in Germany to parents of Turkish descent, about playing for Turkey.

"I visited Schalke 04's stadium three times because of Suat Serdar. There were talks with his family. We were waiting for papers, but they never arrived," Günel told reporters and added:

"We respect that he wants to play for Germany, but he should have said so openly."

Serdar has played for Germany at every youth level.

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