Midfielder Brunt retires from Northern Ireland duty

(Reuters) - Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt has announced his retirement from international football, the Irish Football Association said on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old West Bromwich Albion player won 65 caps for his country across a 14-year period.

"I have spent a lot of time thinking it over but I feel, at this point in my career, I need my sole football focus to be on helping West Bromwich Albion return to the Premier League," Brunt told the club website.

Brunt played in eight of the qualifying matches that took Northern Ireland to Euro 2016 but a knee injury robbed him of the chance to play in the tournament.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)