Newcastle United defender Sven Botman has pulled out of Holland's U21 squad.

Erwin van de Looi's squad face friendly matches against Belgium and Romania this week, with Botman initially being called up after being overlooked for the senior side by Louis van Gaal.

But the 22-year-old centre-back withdrew from the U21 squad on Tuesday morning.

The Newcastle Echo reports he informed the Dutch FA of his decision because he wants to 'exclusively' focus on his club.

The centre-back has been left out for three Premier League already this season, most recently Saturday's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, and is now focusing on winning his place back for the match at Fulham after the international break.