Marco Reus rules himself out of Germany Euro 2020 squad

It's not a decision which Marco Reus will have taken lightly.

On the eve of the announcement of Germany's squad for the postponed 2020 European Championship, the Borussia Dortmund captain took to Instagram to rule himself out of the tournament.

"After a complicated, strenuous and — thank God — ultimately successful season, I have decided along with the national team coach [Joachim Löw] not to travel to the Euros," wrote the 31-year-old.

It will be the third major tournament which Reus will miss since making his Germany debut in 2011. Since then, persistent injury problems and the associated dips in form have seen him make just 44 appearances for Germany, and only five at major tournaments: two games at Euro 2012 and three at the 2018 World Cup.

This year however, for arguably the first time in his career, Reus has ended a season before a major international tournament free of injury and very much in form. His five goals and seven assists since interim coach Edin Terzic took charge of BVB in December have been major factors in the club's successful end to the season.

Reus: 'Time to recover'

"I've not taken this decision lightly, since I am always incredibly proud when I have the chance to play for my country," Reus wrote. "But after an intense year for me personally, and having achieved our aims with Borussia Dortmund, I have come to the conclusion that I need to give my body time to recover!"

National team coach Joachim Löw said he would have liked to have had Reus on board, but said he understand his reasons following an "open and honest" discussion.

"Marco is a great footballer and, as he's shown in the las weeks and months in Dortmund, would be a huge boost for any team," he said.

"I've known Marco for many years, and unfortunately he's had a lot of bad luck with injuries. He's always bounced back with a great deal of energy to get through his rehabilitation.

"But for us, we need energetic players from the off. So I thank Marco for his honest words and we respect his decision."

This season, by his standards, Reus has enjoyed a relatively injury-free campaign. He recovered from a tendon issue at the start of the season and missed Dortmund's 2-2 draw against Cologne in March with a knock to his ankle.

Otherwise, he started 26 of his club's Bundesliga games and featured in every Champions League and German Cup tie, culminating in the 4-1 win over RB Leipzig in the final.

It speaks for his immense experience that he has now decided to listen to his body and sit out a tournament after a season made all the more strenuous by the condensed coronavirus calendar. What's more, after becoming a father in March 2019, it's understandable that he would also like to spend more time with his young daughter away from restrictive team quarantine bubbles.

Nonetheless, from a sporting perspective, the reported return of Thomas Müller to the Germany squad may also have confirmed Reus' decision not to compete for the same number-ten role with the Bayern Munich player.

"I intend to use the break sensibly to prepare properly for next season," he concluded. "I wish Jogi [Löw] and the team all the best and will be keeping my fingers crossed as a fan."