Nemanja Matic says he will not wear a poppy on his Manchester United shirt because it reminds him of when his village was bombed when he was 12.
The bombing, in 1999, was part of a Nato-led offensive to drive out Serbian forces from Kosovo.
Matic was the only United player not wearing a poppy during their 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Serb, 30, released a statement on Instagram in which he said he respected the right of people to wear poppies.
But he said he would again not wear one for this weekend’s Manchester derby, which will take place on Remembrance Sunday.
In his statement, Matic said: “I recognise fully why people wear poppies, I totally respect everyone’s right to do so and I have total sympathy for anyone who has lost loved ones due to conflict. Read more