Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has spoken out about the absence of Liverpool's Xherdan Shaqiri from the latest Switzerland squad, amid reports over a rumoured feud over the captaincy.
Xhaka has been handed the armband in the absence of regular captain Stephan Lichtsteiner, with the Arsenal man leading his side in their 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland in Dublin yesterday (Thursday).
One of the big talking points surrounding the game was the absence of Shaqiri though, with the Liverpool man asking not to be considered for international selection this month to concentrate on his club career.
However, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, it has been suggested in some quarters that Shaqiri may have withdrawn his services after being overlooked as captain by Swiss head coach Vladimir Petkovic.
And Xhaka has spoken out regarding the captaincy, as he discussed Shaqiri's absence from the latest squad.
"If the captain’s band really is the problem, then we can sit together at one table," Xhaka told reporters after his side’s draw 1-1 draw with Ireland.
"We are grown up enough to talk about it. If he really has a problem about that [the captaincy], then he may like the captain’s armband.
"That’s no problem for me. It does not matter to me if I have it.
"I want to give everything to the team, whether that’s with the band or without."
Meanwhile, Xhaka is hoping that Shaqiri will soon return to the Swiss squad as he spoke of what he can bring to the national side.
"I can only speak about how important he is for this team," the Arsenal midfielder said.
"He is a great player, great quality. He can help us in every game and we are very disappointed that he is not here.
"But we have other players as well who have quality.
"I don't want to speak about why and what happened, because I don't know the reasons exactly, but we've lost a big player for these games."
