Alonso to consider international future

Xabi Alonso has refuted talk that he will retire from international football imminently after Spain’s shock exit from the FIFA World Cup.

Spain’s defence of their world title ended with a 5-1 hammering at the hands of the Netherlands and a 2-0 loss to Chile in their opening two Group B games.

In the wake of their embarrassing elimination, Real Madrid playmaker Alonso provoked controversy by suggesting that Spain lacked “hunger” and “ambition” after an unprecedented period of success that saw them win three straight major international tournaments.

Several of his team-mates moved to deny those comments and reports have since indicated that Alonso is ready to end his time with the national team.

But the 32-year-old, who has 112 caps to his name, is adamant he has not come to any decision on his international future.

“I’m still not at that moment,” Alonso told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

“I want all this to end as soon as possible, go on holiday, disconnect a little and then decide things with time. Right now is not the time.”

Alonso refused to reveal what impact his remarks about the Spain squad’s supposed lack of desire have had on the dressing room, but did appear to backtrack somewhat on his earlier statements.

“We know that we lacked intensity, but our enthusiasm has been the same as always,” he added.

“The hardest thing was (to repeat) what we have already done, which is to win three competitions in four years.”