£18million EPL ace quits national team ahead of crucial Scotland clash - 'I simply cannot do it'

Yakin, who led Switzerland to the quarter-finals of the World Cup this summer for the first time since 1954, is set to name his first squad since exiting the tournament in July as they return to action with a home clash against North Macedonia on September 26.

Drawn in the same group as Scotland in the Nations League, they’ll head to Hampden Park to face Scotland three days later, with the game set to mark new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli's first match in charge of the national team on September 29.

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However, Yakin won’t be able to call on key centre-forward Noah Okafor after the Leeds United attacker signalled his intention to walk away from the Swiss national team “until further notice”, citing “broken promises” and a breakdown in his relationship with the 51-year-old head coach.

An £18million signing from AC Milan last summer, Okafor was one of Daniel Farke’s star performers at Elland Road, scoring eight league goals as they successfully avoided the relegation trap door following their promotion from the EFL Championship the season prior. His form for Leeds saw him named in Switzerland’s 26-man squad for the World Cup after a productive meeting was held between Swiss chiefs and the player’s camp, which appeared to put an end to a 15-month rift between himself and Yakin.

The pair had previously fallen out after Okafor publicly vented his frustration at perceived treatment from Yakin and national team director Pierluigi Tami. Still, the pair put aside their differences ahead of the World Cup, with the Leeds star saying: “The matter has now been put to one side. I'm looking ahead. If you want to get to the top, you have to admit your mistakes, learn from them and make the best of them.” However, he saw just 19 minutes of action at the tournament before Switzerland were eliminated by Argentina at the last eight stage.

Expected to be named in Yakin’s squad for the upcoming Nations League triple-header against North Macedonia, Scotland and Slovenia, the 26-year-old has now taken to social media to explain why he won’t be part of the Switzerland squad for the foreseeable future, with a statement made via his official Instagram page.

The statement read: “My decision has nothing to do with my playing time. Things ​happened that hurt me deeply. Trust was broken. ​Commitments were not kept. And when I was allowed to ‌play against Algeria, people reacted to minor mistakes far away from our goal in a way that hurt me deeply. In the weeks that followed, I thought a ​lot and decided ​for myself that I no longer want to play for the national team under the ​current manager.”

In response, the Swiss FA accepted Okafor’s decision, saying: “Noah informed us today that, for the time being, he will no longer ​play for the national team. We ​respect his decision and wish him every success with his club.”