Mesut Özil has spoken out to insist he’s not going to leave Fenerbahce until he retires, despite being suspended for two months.

Fenerbahce publicly confirmed in early April that Mesut Özil and Ozan Tufan had both been excluded from their squad, following a decision taken by the club.

The Athletic reported that head coach Ismail Kartal made the decision, and it’s not believed to be related to on-field performance.

After that, Football.London claimed that the exclusion was related to a verbal altercation between the two players and the Fenerbahce manager. Neither have appeared in a single matchday squad since then.

But despite his two-month absence from the Fenerbahce squad, Özil has now spoken out to insist he won’t be forced out of the club.

“Recently, I have had to make a statement regarding the allegations made about my career,” Özil began.

“I completed my career goal by signing a 3.5-year contract with Fenerbahçe, my childhood love, without even getting paid for the first 6 months.

“I repeat with emphasis; I will not end my career in a team other than Fenerbahçe. For the duration of my contract, my only goal is to wear our Çubuklu jersey. This decision is very clear and final.

“As per the requirements of professional life, if our management takes a decision about me, I will only respect this. I will work hard and always keep myself ready.

“As I always say, the main thing is Fenerbahçe. My love and respect to the great Fenerbahce fans.”

Things seemed to be going pretty well for Özil before he was dropped, as he made 26 appearances and scored nine goals – including four penalties.

But the old story of persistent injury issues and management fall-outs has persisted. For the 26 games he featured in, the former Gunner missed 22 completely.

Özil will hope that the Fenerbahce bosses blink first and bring him back into the fold for next season.