(Reuters) - Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey has withdrawn from the national squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan and an international friendly with Belarus next month, the Welsh national team said on Tuesday.
Ramsey, who sealed a free transfer from Premier League side Arsenal to Serie A club Juventus in the close season, has yet to make his competitive debut for the defending league champions after playing 20 minutes in a pre-season friendly.
The national team did not give a reason for Ramsey's absence, but the 28-year-old was suffering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him in the final weeks of last season.
"Aaron Ramsey has withdrawn from the Cymru squad for the upcoming matches against Azerbaijan and Belarus," the team said in a tweet https://twitter.com/Cymru/status/1166321147790708737. "Dylan Levitt steps up from the Under-21s to replace him."
Levitt, 18, is a Manchester United academy graduate who has played for Wales' youth teams but not yet for the senior side.
Wales are currently fourth in Group E of the qualifiers after three games. They host Azerbaijan on Sept. 6 before a friendly at home against Belarus on Sept. 9.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
