Matthaus advises Schweinsteiger, Podolski to retire from Germany duty

Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus has advised Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski to retire from international duty and focus on their club career instead.

Schweinsteiger and Podolski have been key figures for Germany since making their respective debuts in 2004, but Matthaus believes the time has come for the duo to make way for younger players.

"Podolski and Schweinsteiger will have noticed [coach Joachim] Low no longer banks on them like in the past," Matthaus wrote in his column for Sport Bild.

"Podolski knows other players are the future in his position.

"Schweinsteiger is being plagued by injuries and is missing a certain lightness.

"Both should be asking themselves whether they would do their body a favour by retiring from international duty.

"Maybe retiring from Germany duty could help them make a fresh start at Galatasaray and Manchester United."

Matthaus is Germany's most-capped player with 150 appearances, while Miroslav Klose is the only other player to have won more caps for the national team than Podolski's 129 and Schweinsteiger's 120.