Tjay de Barr: Wycombe forward opts out of Gibraltar duty in bid to boost play-offs push

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Tjay de Barr and Wycombe boss Matt BloomfieldImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Tjay de Barr scored his first league goal for Matt Bloomfield's Wycombe this month

Wycombe forward Tjay de Barr has withdrawn from the Gibraltar squad to stay with the League One club during the international break.

The 23-year-old has made 14 appearances this season, most recently the 1-0 home defeat by Barnsley on 18 March.

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) said he told head coach Julio Ribas this week he wanted to remain with the Chairboys.

He will miss their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Greece and the Netherlands.

"A couple of months ago I wasn't featuring at all, but I did know that I was capable of breaking into the team and did think that at some point it would clash with my international games," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"It was a very, very tough decision. Playing for my country is the best feeling in the world and people probably won't understand the feeling I get when I play for my country, so they won't understand the level of difficulty it has taken for me to stay here and play for Wycombe.

"But I see an opportunity now that I need to grasp. We haven't many games left and we've got to do everything possible to get into the play-offs."

Wycombe are eighth in League One, four points outside the play-off places before their trip to Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

De Baar has won 30 caps for Gibraltar since making his senior debut five years ago.

"I'd like to apologise to my team-mates, the manager, the Gibraltarian fans - it was a very tough decision," he added. "But I've got to make the most of it and do the best I can for Wycombe."

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